The XFiles: Countdown
by youngin211
Summary: When a alien corpse turns up in New Orleans where agents Reyes & Doggett now live,they seek out the help of Mulder & Scully to investigate. All leading up to an epic show down on Invasion Day, with new friends & enemies, they never expected to have.
1. Chapter 1

Scully stands on the balcony of a sixth floor suite. The heat of the sun warms her face. Her hair drips water. This new day looks like it can only bring good things. She turns around and walks into the room, up to a sleeping Mulder on the bed. She leans down next to him and smiles. She rubs her finger through his hair, and whisper in his ear...

"Wake up."

Her hand follows down his neck, to his left shoulder, then down his arm. She grabs his hand, then his ring finger. On it rest her fathers ring. Mulder laughs...

"Already, Mrs. Spooky?"

She slaps him lightly on his face, and they laugh. He grabs her arm and pulls her into bed with him. Lying on top of him, she stares into his eyes. She can feel his heart beating fast. They kiss.

...

Monica Reyes sits in a New Orleans' police car next to a female detective, Det. Sheryl Aimes. Monica tries to figure out where she is headed...

"Did Agent Doggett say what it was?"

"No. Just, that he needed you there quick."

Pulling up to a large marsh, Monica spots Doggett waiting for her. The car stops and she gets out. Doggett can barely contain himself...

"Follow me."

"What is it?"

"Just follow."

She hurries along with him.

"John. Tell me."

He doesn't answer. Coming up to the edge of the water now, Doggett stops Monica and points to his left...

"I think I owe someone an apology."

Monica looks on in utter amazement and shock.

"Oh my God."

"I have an 'I told you so coming."

...

Mulder & Scully wait at the motel counter to check out. They hold hands, and look around. The clerk comes with their bill...

"One week stay. Eight room service trips, and four movies. That comes to-"

"Wait a minute. Four movies? We only watched two. Let me see that bill."

Scully scans through it, and under 'Harvey' & 'Rear Window' are two items listed under the same name, 'Discreet Selection'. Scully roles he eyes, and looks to a nervous Mulder.

"You fall asleep early. I got bored."

Walking out of the motel now carrying their luggage, Mulder and Scully wait for a cab.

"That was embarrassing."

"You knew who I was when you married me Mrs. Spooky."

Scully reaches over and pinches Mulder.

"I told you to stop that."

Then suddenly they hear a familiar voice...

"Fox & Dana Mulder"

They turn around.

"I figured if we came ourselves, you'd know how serious this was."

...

Monica walks closer.

"Is that?"

"Well it's not human." replies Doggett. "The coroner's been out here to confirm it. A vet's been out here too. It isn't any animal either."

"But is it an-?"

"An alien? Sure looks like it to me."

On the ground before them is the body of a humanoid creature six feet long. The head, eyes, and hands are large. The torso looks like it's been ripped open and emptied.

"What happen to it's stomach?"

"I don't know. Looks like something crawled out of it."

"Who found it?"

"A couple. Apparently this is where young couples around here, um, park."

"We have to call them."

"Scully said it would take something pretty amazing to bring them back. Doesn't get more amazing than this."

...

Scully looks worried.

"Is it my Mom? Is she okay?"

Monica & Doggett assure her.

"She's fine. Everyone's fine."

"When what is it? Mulder says.

Monica hands Mulder a photo of the alien body. Mulder & Scully examine the picture. They see something familiar.

"Do you recognize that Scully?"

"I don't believe it."

"You've seen this before?" asks Doggett.

"Our first case together. We exhumed a body. It looked just like this. Where is it?"

"Quantico. Skinner sent us. He said he'll hold the body for as long as he can. But time is short we have to move fast. We got a private plane back to the states."

"We can't" says Mulder.

"I just handed you a picture of an actual extraterrestrial body that we have sitting on a slab in Virginia to you. Proof of what you've been searching for, for over half your life. What you and Scully worked a decade for, and your not going to at least come poke it with a stick?'

"I can't. I made a promise."

Scully looks at Mulder.

"I knew who you were when I married you."

"I don't want you doing this if you don't want to. I'll understand."

"Even to this day, you still think of the X-Files as yours. You found some files in the basement of the FBI, files no one would look at or think twice about, and started investigating. You forget how much of the X-Files is me. I was there too, Mulder. You started it alone, but we can finish it together."

No one says anything for a beat. Mulder smiles and kisses Scully on the forehead.

"Let's go poke it with a stick then."

...

A young woman drives down the road of a farming town that could be any of countless scattered throughout America. She's watching the road, but is rubbing the temple of her head while she drives. The night time air seems to be making it worst so she rolls up her window. Coming up on a stoplight she stops at an intersection.

The young woman buries her head in her hands.

"These damn, headaches."

She hears the faint click of the light turn green. She hits the gas to get going.

Then suddenly the car is truck by a massive big rig truck dead center. The car is no match and burst open. The young lady is tossed free of her seat belt, and smacks into the pavement head first, cracking snapping her brain stem.

...

"She's waking up. She's not dead"

"Coroner 101. Bodies twitch."

"Do they breathe too?"

"What?"

The young woman opens her eyes.

"What happened?" She asks.

The two coroners stare at her in disbelief.

The young woman is lying on the street. Fresh cuts bleeding, and bruised everywhere.

"Your, your car was struck by a drunk truck driver. Tore the fucking thing in half. Tossed you out the car, and broke your neck. Or at least we thought it did. How the hell did you survive that?"

The young woman starts to feel her head hurt again, but this is no normal headache, this feels like her head splitting open. She screams in agony. He body shakes uncontrollably. She feels like every bone in her body is shattering.

"Call the cops over here. Tell them we need one of those ambulances to come back!"

"Mam, stay still. It's gonna be okay. Help is coming"

Suddenly the woman's pain is gone, and her body stops shaking. Infact, she feels euphoric. She looks at her arm, it's tightening up and growing lean muscles, the same things happens to her legs and stomach. Her cuts heal, and her bruises fade.

"What the hell is happening to you?" ask the coroner.

"I don't know!"

Her eyes turn from dark brown to blue. Then her hair goes from black to red.

A cop finally arrives and runs up to her. He shines his flashlight in her eyes.

"We thought you were dead Mam, what's your name?"

"My name..."

She sits up.

"...is Emily."

A/N: I know it seems a little scattered, but the story lines will converge gradually. This is my first story, so any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated on how to improve my writting.


	2. Chapter 2

Back doors to Quantico fly open, and Mulder & Doggett push out a gurney with a body bag on it. They roll it up to a van, and load it inside the back. They get in, and the van drives off. Monica drives, and Scully's in the passenger seat. She looks back...

"Skinner's going to meet us at the place. He said we'll have everything we need, and we won't be bothered. It's all ours for the next 24 hours." says Scully. "But we need to hurry. Usually bodies are transferred in refrigerated vehicles so they don't deteriorate."

"Don't worry I'll get us their as fast as I can" says Monica.

Mulder just stares at the bag. He's waited for this his whole life. Right in front of him was tangible proof of alien life. He reaches over to the top of the body bag, and begins to unzip it. He only gets it open about a foot before he hears a police siren and stops.

"Shit. Police." says Monica.

"We don't have time for this." says Scully.

Mulder and Doggett look out the back windows and see two cop cars tailing them.

"Punch the gas." yells Doggett.

"What?" ask Scully.

"There's FBI in both cars. They must of seen us sneaking the body out." says Mulder.

Monica punches the gas and runs through a red light. She ask "How we going to lose them in this?"

"We have to try" says Doggett.

...

Emily sits in a hospital bed. No sign of the accident she was in just three hours earlier. She's had a shower, and a fresh change of clothes. She's repeatedly pressing the button to call the nurse. No answer.

"It's been like ten minutes." she mumbles to herself.

Then she hears the nurses voice from down the hall...

"I've already ask you to leave, sir. If you don't, I'll have to call the police."

Emily slips out of the bed and onto her feet, creeping over to the door and opens it slowly. Peaking her head out the window for a view of what's going on down the hall, she see's the nurse pick up the phone and begin dialing. The man she's talking to stands at an intimidating 6'8. He's dressed in a typical black business suit. As the nurse is dialing the man pulls out a gun from his coat, and points it right at her forehead.

"Room number. Now!"

The nurse drops the phone and puts her hands up, and begins to weep. Emily sticks her head out just a little further, her door half way open now.

"Please, don't shoot me."

"Room number."

"R-r-room 6"

Emily looks to her door, on it displays 'Patient Room 06', she gasp.

"Thank You." the man says.

BANG. The man fires a bullet through the head of the nurse. Her head snaps back and blood gushes out, her body violently smacks against the counter, then falls to the floor. Blood has splattered on the mans face, and he wipes it off with his sleeve, then begins walking down the hall.

He spots room six, then kicks open the door, and fires at the bed. But the bed is empty. He leans down to check under the bed, nothing. He checks in the restroom, and in the shower, nothing. Walking out of the restroom, he notices the window open. He runs over and looks out and down at the parking lot...nothing.

...

"It's been 15 minutes. We have to get this body somewhere cool." insist Scully.

"Get on that freeway!" yells Doggett.

Monica makes a sharp turn right, but it's too sharp. The van tips over and rolls. The windshield and windows crack, and shatter down on Monica & Scully. In the back Mulder, Doggett, and the corpse get tossed around like rag dolls. The van rolls over a second time. Monica's seat belt comes loose and she slams into the top of the van, her feet smash into Scully's face, breaking her nose. The gurney hits Mulder in the shoulder, and the body bag flies free.

The van finally stops rolling and has landed right side up. Scully is putting pressure on her nose, and looks back. Right behind her Monica is laid out, hurt but conscious. Mulder grabs his arm, it's not broken but it hurts like hell.

"Scully!" yells Mulder.

"I'm okay, Mulder. You?"

"I'm dandy. Monica?"

"Just thrashed." Monica says, grabbing her head. "John?"

No answer.

"John!"

Monica gets up, and looks around. Mulder spots the gurney. He gets up, and moves the gurney away. Under it lays an unconscious Doggett.

"Oh my God. John!" Monica says. She crawls over to him.

"Don't move him! He could have a neck injury." yells Scully.

Mulder crawls over to Doggett. He notices something odd. A black goo covers Doggett's nose and mouth. Mulder gets a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. He's seen this before. He and Scully know it as the 'black oil'. He looks around. Mulder spots what he's looking for...the half open body bag.

...

Emily quietly shuts the door. She hears the nurses body drop to the floor. Panicked, Emily turns around to find a place to hide. Instead, someones looking her in the eyes. A man, around the same as Emily has his index finger over his mouth and is shushing her.

"Just be quiet, and he won't find us." he says.

Whether out of fear, or desperation, Emily complies.

"My name is Kennedy. Grab my hand."

Emily grabs his hand and it's tingling. Suddenly, they are both invisible. Emily looks around to see her feet, her stomach, anything but nothings there. Kennedy leads them both over to stand near the wall.

"Stay still and be quiet." he tells her.

The door flies open, and the man walks in. He walks right past them and looks around. He checks under the bed, and in the restroom. He walks out and over to the window, and looks out.

"Shit." he mutters to himself, then storms out the room.

Emily and Kennedy still wait quietly. The tingle of Kennedy's hand is uncomfortable, but not painful. They hear the elevator open. Then close.

Emily lets go of Kennedy's hand and her body reappears. She's speechless. Kennedy's amused.

"We're not superheroes. But we're pretty damn close."

A/N: New chapters will be a little slow, as things are hectic right now, but I have alot of the story outlined, and more and more comes to light everyday. Hope it isn't too long for Chapter 3. And thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Scully opens her eyes. She's being pushed down a long white hall on a gurney. Sure she's been drugged. The bright lights that line the ceiling burn brighter than her sensitive eyes can handle, and she slowly lifts her arm over her forehead. She lifts up her head to looks around and gets a spell of nausea.

Scully looks up and a man is a white hazmat suit looks down at her. As if heard from underwater she listens to his voice...

"This ones waking up. Get me another syringe"

Scully whispers..."No"

Scully looks to her left and they pass a window. In the window she spots Doggett in a surgical room. A team of doctors in the corner examine X-Ray's of his chest. Then they pass the window completely.

"After we get this one down stairs, I'll be back to administer the vaccine."

They pull into an elevator and doors shut close. She see's the doctor hit SUBLEV6

"What are we?" ask Emily.

Emily and Kennedy sit in a Denny's corner booth.

"No one knows for sure. But what we do know is we're suppose to be soldiers." says Kennedy.

Emily grabs her cup of coffee and adds a mountain of sugar. "Soldiers? For the government?" She picks up the cup and drinks.

"For alien invaders."

Mid-drink Emily almost drops the cup. She wipes her mouth. 'What?"

"You say that, and look at me like I'm crazy. Like I'm lying to you. A few hours ago you died in a car crash and came back to life, and Aliens is stretching it?"

"A few hours ago, death was the end, and Aliens were an uncertainty. This shit is all coming at me pretty fast!"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just that I go through this conversation all the time with every new potential recruit, and I just wish we could get to the yes or no question, so I can hurry up and get home."

"What question?"

"We don't know how. When. Or Where. But we were made to help make the invasion of earth easier. And when it happens, your either with us to help resist it, or your with them."

"Their are people who side the other way?"

"If were not completely human, we're turning our backs on a part of ourselves. Some people have always felt like they don't belong here. Like they were meant for something more. For some people it's about finding out who we really are. For some it's about fear. The thought that the human race can resist the invasion is hopeless to them, so why fight the losing side?"

Emily looks down and says nothing.

Just then, a gun from the other side of the diner is fired.

Scully is slowly waking up. She opens her eyes and looks down. Her toes hang off the ground a few inches. With Scully's pants and sox's removed her shaved legs faintly glare in the bright lights surrounding her. She's slightly relieved to see her black underwear and buttoned blouse still on. Scully looks up, her hands are bound by rope, and bruising from the pressure.

The door to the room flies open, and two men in white hazmat suits drag in a half naked Monica by the ankles. She's also only clothed in a black blouse and blue underwear. Faced down.

"Monica!" yells Scully. "Who the hell are you! Where's Mulder?" The men leave the room, and slam the door shut. "Monica!"

Monica rolls over, she's coughing blood. She looks up at Scully.

"Did...they..." Scully can't even finish the sentence.

"I don't' know." Monica lays her head on the floor, and grabs her stomach. Her fear growing. "I don't know."

Behind the fired gun is the tall man from the hospital. The bullet ricochets off the chest of a man who has instantly appeared in the bullet's path. This man is Bruiser, a six foot eight African-American with some of the biggest fist you've ever seen. Bruiser walks over to the man and smacks the gun out of his hand.

The man laughs..."Agility, and strength, such a rare combination."

Bruiser swings at the man. but his fist is caught mid way and brought to a dead stop.

The man holds Bruisers fist and squeezes..."Rare, but not one of a kind." Bruiser is stunned. "I've been perfecting my skills since your parents were kids." In the blink of an eye he has his hand around the back of Bruisers head, and snaps his neck. Bruisers body slams into the ground.

Looking ahead the man notices Emily and Kennedy have fled.

Mulder is strapped down to a gurney in nothing but his boxers. A light shines down on the him and the gurney, but beyond a few feet, he see's nothing but darkness.

"Scully!" he yells. Hoping for an answer, but none returns. Instead, he can hear the steady approach of someone. Their shoes smack the floor in a steady pace. They appear in the light. But above the knees, nothing can be seen of the person.

The person speaks to Mulder..."I leave you on your own for a couple of years, and you end up right in their hands. Guess I had more faith in you than I should have."

Mulder's stomach turns, because at the same time he hears that familiar voice, an accompanying smell confirms his suspicions. The smell of a Morley cigarette.

A/N: I've been unable to write out any chapters during my hiatus, and am rusty. I had a scene in between the accident in the van, and the hallway scene with Scully, but in the interest of keeping my few readers in the dark, I removed it, I thought this jumpy, and quick chapter would help me get some rust off.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily and Kennedy are flying down the road in a stolen car from the diner. In the passenger seat Emily grabs her head.

"Everyone has at least three abilities" says Kennedy. "Super-human strength is the only common denominator. I have Invisibility and telekinesis."

"Who was that guy who helped us out back there?"

"That was Bruiser. He's got Super human strength and speed."

"Is he dead?"

"Natural born soldiers can't die . But there are soldiers who were turned later in life. They can be killed by magnetite."

"Why does bruiser only have two?"

"Oh, we all have super human strength, but Soldiers like Bruiser are something totally different. Where as any soldier could probably lift a car no problem, Bruiser can lift a plane like a Lego."

"But that guy snapped his neck like a twig"

"He'll be fine, believe me."

=x=x=x=

Scully sits in the corner of the room, next to Monica. They wear identical white 'prisoner' jumpsuits. Monica lays her head on Scully's shoulder.

"A person born to be a flower pot will not go beyond the porch." says Monica.

"What?" replied Scully.

"It's a saying my grandmother use to tell me when I was going up."

"Well, I envy all the flower pots out there."

Monica laughs.

=x=x=x=

Kennedy wakes up Emily in the car. They are parked outside of an abandoned movie theater. She opens the door and climbs out. All around her is the smell of smoke. Kennedy leads her to the entrance of the theater and up to a keypad lock. He enters "10.13.10"

"What is this place?" ask Emily.

"A hideout for some of us."

"Where?"

"Centralia, Pennsylvania. A mine fire has been burning under this place for 50 years. Aside from the occasional tourist that wonders in this far, we're not bothered much."

The doors to the theater pop open, and they enter. The doors shut behind them. Inside, the theater looks brand new, and lit up. The smell of popcorn, and stale soda fill the air. A Mexican woman in her late 20's approaches Emily & Kennedy.

"Did they take the bait?" she ask Kennedy.

"Yeah, Bruiser's in." he replies.

"That was a set up?" ask Emily.

"Yeah, I told you Bruiser would be fine. We've been trying to get a mole in on the other side for years. We had to take a different approach."

"And you are?" ask Emily.

"Joan" the woman replies. "You?"

"Em-" Emily is cut off by Kennedy.

"Wait, I didn't tell you something. Whatever your name was before you died, don't use it anymore. You have a new life now." says Kennedy. "Dwelling on the past and whoever you use to know is just gonna get you distracted and in dangerous situations. Start fresh, little things like a new name is a good place to start. And never sitting down to chat about your old life with other Soldiers."

"So your real name's not Kennedy?"

"It is now. JFK. Gotta love the guy. Joan here is named after the saint. Bruiser, that's an easy one, huh?"

"How long you been dead?" ask Joan.

"Nine hours." answers Kennedy.

"It takes about 24 before you'll know what kind of abilities you'll have. Did you have any major changes when it happened?" asks Joan.

"My hair...and my eyes changed colors."

"Hmm. Never heard of that happening before."

"Get everyone together, we could get the call any minute." Kennedy says to Joan.

"Got cha" she replies, and takes off.

"Ready for what?" ask Emily.

"We've got Soldier's being held captive somewhere in North Virginia. We haven't been able to track the exact location, until tonight thanks to Bruiser. Once we know the location, we have orders to get our friends back."

"Am I coming with you?"

'Yes."

=x=x=x=

Bruiser wakes up in a room. An exact clone of the one Scully and Monica are being held in. He looks around and notices another person, a Caucasian woman in her mid thirties in the other corner.

"I'm Bruiser" he says to the woman.

She looks up and says "I'm Belle".

"You a Soldier?"

"Yeah, I'm a Speed Reader." she replies.

Bruisers laughs. "Super human speed and a mind reader huh?".

"That's a common misconception about Readers. We don't read your thoughts. We can just sense your emotions. For instance, I know that your not afraid at this moment. But under the circumstances, I don't know why."

"How long have you been here?"

'Depends. What's the date?"

"September 09, 2011."

"4 months, two days. Your the first person I've seen since I've gotten here."

Bruiser stands up and walks over slowly, and leans down on one knee in front of her. "Within a couple of hours, over 3,000 soldiers are coming here to get you and everyone else being held here out of here."

"They can hear you, you know. They have the room mic'd."

'Doesn't matter." Bruiser says. "They want an invasion. They'll get one."

=x=x=x=

Emily is dressed in all black fatigues. Standing in front of the mirror in a restroom, she stares into her own eyes. The fear is coming in waves. Yesterday around this time she was just another young woman on the run. Now she was half alien, dead, and had super powers.

Someone knocks at the door. "Come in." she says.

Kennedy walks in, dressed in the same black fatigues. He can see the fear in her eyes. 'It's okay, you know" he reassures her. "I was scared too."

"I'm afraid to be taken with you, only to learn that I don't have what it takes to help you get your friends back"

"Just stay by my side, and I'll make sure your okay."

Emily gets a slight pain in her head, and puts pressure on it with her hand. Then the pain is quickly gone. "A person born to be a flower pot will not go beyond the porch." she says.

"Where'd that come from? Now your Ms. Proverb?" Kennedy ask.

Emily laughs. "I don't know. I don't even remember ever hearing it. It just kinda...popped into my head." She looks to him.

"Well don't worry, your gonna be anything but a Flower Pot from now on."

A/N: Not an exciting chapter, I know. I decided to skip Emily's whole struggle with deciding to go with Kennedy on the rescue mission to save the captured soldiers (and Scully & Monica) from the secret prison in North Virginia. In the end it was just a long unnecessary chapter or two, that was just going to slow down progression to the first mission in my story, when it was no surprise she was gonna end up going anyway, right :). So having her go with the flow, and scared will allow some action in the next chapter. Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

"I want you to meet, Ash. He's a Jumper" Kennedy says to Emily.

Ash is a twenty-something, 5'6 male of Irish decent. Emily, Kennedy, & Ash all lay on a hill about 150 yards away from a dome in the middle of a corn field. The dome emits light that makes it glow white in the otherwise desolate area.

"Like the movie? A teleporter?" ask Emily.

"No. Jumper's can give other Soldier's abilities they don't have." says Ash. "All I need is someone like Kennedy here who has invisiblity to put their hands on mine, and I can give 9 other soldiers who don't have it, the ability to use it." He laughs..."Like "jumper cables".

One minute before midnight, the clarity of the stars in the sky is something a 'city girl' like Emily has never really experienced before.

"But that's just New England slang, on the West Coast we're 'Transmitters', and in Texas we're 'Taps'." says Ash. "Better nicknames than my friend Kennedy here has to endure."

Kennedy rolls his eyes.

"Like what?" ask Emily.

"Soldiers with invisibility are known as 'Peepers' and occasionally 'Perverts'." says Ash. "Due to some of the perverted actions by some of the male soldiers with the ability."

"A very small amount. You know damn well most of us ain't like that" affirms Kennedy.

Out of nowhere a woman's voice is heard from behind them. They turn around. Standing there is 30 year old, Nina, and African-American woman.

"Which one of you is the jumper?" Nina ask.

"Me." says Ash. He walks over to shake her hand. "I'm Ash. You Are?"

"Nina. What level are you?"

"Level 9. But that's only 'cause my real talent is with fire" Ash puts his hand up and fire flows from his fingers tips.

"In a couple seconds, the flares will go off. When that happens, the soldiers near the blue one will be all yours. I'm a transvective" Says Nina, as she puts her hands on Ash's.

"What's a transvective?" ask Emily.

"Watch." replies Ash.

Emily suddenly starts lifting off the ground a few feet. She's stunned. Then goes back to the ground. Just as she's about to say something, all around the area, flares are going off. Ash spots his group. Kennedy grabs Emily...

"You ready?" Kennedy ask. "Just hold on around my waist tight, and don't let go no matter what. You go it?"

"Yeah." Emily answers.

Just then Emily and Kennedy are flying upward in the air. She looks to the ground. All around near the groups of flares, hundreds of other soldiers are flying up with them, all meeting at the same point. In the distance a man yells "Are You Ready!" to which the soldiers reply with a loud collective "Yes, Sir!".

Spiraling down towards the domes like swarm of locus, They turn upside down, and Kennedy looks at her.

"I hope all the jumpers are ready. 'Cause if not, we're gonna smack right into 20 feet of steel." says Kennedy.

"What!" she exclaims back. She looks back the the ground rushing towards her. Emily can no longer hold back, she screams and screams as they smash through the soft exterior of the dome and right to the steel floor. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

=x=x=x=

Belle is pulling her shirt back over her head, looking away from Bruiser, who is slipping back on his shoes.

=x=x=x=

Scully & Monica sleep against the wall, resting their heads on each other.

=x=x=x=

Emily & Kennedy pass through the six feet of steel easily, and into an elevator shaft. Alarms begin to sound.

"We've got more than one jumper out there" says Kennedy.

Down below, some Soldiers have reached the bottom level and begin to scatter out in all directions.

=x=x=x=

The alarms wake Scully & Monica...

"What do you think is happening?" ask Monica.

"Mulder & Doggett?" she answers.

=x=x=x=

Emily and Kennedy land on the bottom level and look around. Surrounding them are five long tunnels. Kennedy grabs Emily's hand and leads her over to a group of Soldiers nearby. One stands out, a 6'2 Caucasian male in his early 40s. Emily looks to his name tag that reads... "Lt. Colonel Art"

"...but the tunnel to my six is the armory" says Lt. Art. "Captain Kennedy's team will assist me into it, while Captain Flint's team will search for the prisoner quarters. Everyone knows what they are to do?"

Everyone replies with a "Yes, Sir!".

"Good luck Soldiers. Off you go." All the captains lead there teams where commanded. Lt. Art looks to Kennedy. "Let's see what these bastards got nowadays."

=x=x=x=

"We have less than 50 Soldiers here!...They've all been lent out to other bases!" yells Parker into his cellphone. Parker is a 5'6 German man, in his late 30s. "I don't give a shit who says not to, I'm not gonna spend the next year talking to myself in some fuckin waste dump in Nevada! We've been dying to use it on these bastards, and now I'm gonna do it!" Parker slams his phone into the floor.

He walks over to a safe in the wall and punches in the numbers 060612. Inside the safe, is a gun box. Parker pulls it and opens it up. Inside is a gold plated handgun.

=x=x=x=

Emily, Kennedy, Lt. Art, and the rest of the team stand in front of a large group of 'humans' who are all hopelessly emptying their bullets at them. The bullets ricochet and shatter off the Soldiers bodies.

Soon the ammo runs out, and the humans stand nervously silent.

"We don't want to hurt you." says Kennedy. " So just step aside, out of our way, and you won't be."

"There's nothing here." one of them says. " This base is being shut down. The weapons here were moved, and prisoners were next." Then they begin to stand against the wall, out of the way.

"Shit." says Lt. Art. "I still want every one of these rooms checked!"

=x=x=x=

"I thought you were dead?" ask Mulder.

Cigarette Smoking man's face is still hidden in the dark, but Mulder can still see the smoke coming from his nose.

"I am. Sort of."

"What do you mean? Either you are, or you aren't?"

Cigarette Smoking Man, steps into the light. To Mulder's surprise, he can't be more than 30.

"They had you cloned?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Cigarette Smoking Man replies. "I'm the most ruthless, efficient, and effective human ally they've ever had. Four clones in all."

"Yeah, well not anymore. Your getting closer to Invasion Day so now your getting sloppy? You got alien bodies dropping from the sky!"

"Actually, we're just as curious as you are, as to how that body ended up in New Orleans."

"Where's Scully!"

"Don't worry. I've made sure, she'll end up in safe hands."

"You expect me to trust you, you bastard?"

"I'm not completely like him you know. We all have our own independent thoughts, and emotions. Though some addictions remain the same." he takes a long drag on his cigarette.

"I swear if anything happens to her."

"I promise Mulder, nothing will happen to her. She's too important in their long term plans to be killed."

"Your words mean shit to me."

"What do you know about Super Soldiers Mulder?"

"Infected Zombies, alien lapdogs, but they can be killed by magnetite. So they're useless as the invasion force, you were hoping they would be."

"Your right, all those things do apply to Super Soldiers turned later in life. But not ones born that way."

"Your saying there's natural born Super Soldiers?"

"Yes. Ones that are Stronger, faster, more varied in abilities, and unaffected by magnetite. True hybrids."

"Since?"

"It started nearly 30,000 years ago. But the results and technology were "primitive", even for beings as advanced as them. It was mostly abandon aside from a few experiments, and made a full swing comeback about 100 years ago. But being human makes it complicated. Not every Soldier was so quick to turn against it's own kind."

"So in an attempt to make the invasion of earth simpler, what they actually did was give us a fighting chance to resist it?"

"Needless to say, this created a problem. By the time this was realized, too many mothers were given the necessary treatment to give birth to a Soldier. It didn't stop them from trying though. But they couldn't kill them all, and even to this day, hundreds are born each year. And untill recently, they, out of fear of being government lab rats, have remained largely unaware of each others existence."

"What's changed?"

"You see, these natural born soldiers don't become full on Soldiers with abilities until they have died. Upon death, they come back empowered. It doesn't take long in the internet age to read a story about someone surviving something they shouldn't. A story most people don't take serious, unless of course you yourself have also survived. Get curious, seek people out. Investigate. Large groups of 'survivors' meet. Share rumors of their origins. Mount a resistance when they learn the truth."

"All in secret?"

"Both sides have agreed to keep their existence secret from the world as long as possible before the invasion. If people learn that death might bring them back to life with super human abilities, you'll have millions, if not billions of humans killing themselves to have them. In which case either side loses. Either vast amounts of the population, or large amounts of slaves"

"Both sides?"

"Some natural born Soldiers believe resisting the invasion is hopeless."

"If you have both sides of the war fighting it with Soldiers who can't die, how will it ever end?"

=x=x=x=

Bruiser and Belle hear a the door to there cell opening, they both stand up, and try to prepare themselves for whatever comes through.

"I won't let anything happen to you" says Bruiser.

The door flies open, and in walks Cpt. Art.

Bruiser is relieved, until Cpt. Art walks over to Belle and kisses her on the lips...

"I Let you down. I'm sorry." says Cpt. Art.

"It was my fault. I should've stayed out of that assignment like you said." Belle replies. Then look to Bruiser.

"Who's this?" ask Cpt. Art"

"This is, Bruiser."

"Bruiser, your the Sgt. who volunteered to be the pawn in this scheme, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir." Cpt. Art walks over and shakes Bruisers hand.

"Thanks Sgt. You made it possible for me to be reunited with my fiance." Belle looks to the floor, trying to hide guilt. "This won't go unnoticed, believe me. I've got some big plans in store to repay you."

"No need sir. I was just doing what was needed for The Resistance."

A Private walks over to the Cpt...

"Sir, Lt. Kennedy needs your assistance immediately."

"You go ahead sir, I'll lead your men to search for more prisoners" says Bruiser.

"Thanks again Sgt."

The Cpt. leaves the room. Bruiser looks at Belle, who's still looking to the floor. Without saying a word, Bruiser leaves the room.

=x=x=x=

"Just give up, and I swear, we won't isolate you." says Kennedy to Parker.

Parker laughs. he pulls out the golden gun from his pocket. "Touch me and I'll shoot."

Kennedy and all the other soldiers laugh. Cpt. Art enters the room.

"You haven't been a Soldiers long have you? You know we can't die right?" ask Cpt. Art.

"Is that what you think?" ask Parker.

A private walks out towards Parker and says...

"Go ahead, I'll show you. Shoot me"

Parker pulls up his gin and points it to the the Privates forehead. He pulls the trigger and the gun fires.

=x=x=x=

Monica & Scully stand against the wall, as the cell door opens up. Then in walks, Bruiser.

"Don't be afraid. We're not gonna hurt you. we've come here to free all the Soldiers captured here." Brusier says.

"We're not soldiers. I'm a civilian, and she's FBI." says Scully.

"What are they doing holding civilians? Who are you? Do you have political ties?"

"No. But who are you? Military?" ask Monica.

"Yeah, come with us."

"How do we know we can trust you?" ask Scully.

"Do you have a better option"

=x=x=x=

Emily, Kennedy, and the rest of the room stand shocked. The bullet has flown right through the Privates head, and warm blood covers them.

Parker points the gun at Cpt. Art.

"And your next Captain, if you don't move the fuck out of my way."

Just then, Kennedy turns invisible. Parker shoots his gun where he thinks Kennedy must be. But Kennedy manages to grab a hold of his head, and snap his neck. Parker falls to the flor unconscious.

He becomes visible again, and looks around. Three more Soldiers have been killed.

A Private panics...

"What's happening to us! I thought we couldn't die? I've see soldiers get shot all the time without a scratch to show for it. Are we losing it!"

"Get a hold of yourself Private, Now! Lt. Kennedy, I want him, and that gun at your headquaters ready for examination by 0900 hours. When this bastard comes too, I want to be the first one talking to him, understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Emily, who has remained frozen in fear, finally snaps out of it, and wipes blood and skin off her face.

Sorry it took so long for another chapter. But at least now, my few readers have an idea of some of the storylines I have cooking up for my characters. And Mulder, Scully, and Monica are in for some drama galore. Sorry to all the Doggett fans. I couldn't think of anyway to really Incorporated him into my story alot, but he IS VERY important, and not gone completely from my story.


	6. Interquel I

Scully and Monica sit in the backseat of a clunker. Scully stares out of the window, her mind miles away. She snaps out of her thought and looks over. Monica stares down at her stomach, her hands holding it.

"Monica, you okay?" ask Scully. Monica looks up and over to her.

"I'm worried about Doggett. About Mulder." she answers.

"I overheard them saying there's other prisoners. I'm sure they're were being held there too." Monica forces a smirk.

x=x=x

Parker wakes up bound to a chair, he looks over and see's his reflection in a two way mirror. The air smells of ash. A door opens up, and in walks Cpt. Art. On the other side on the mirror, Kennedy & Ash watch.

"Do you know who El Greco is?" ask Cpt. Art. Parker looks insulted.

"Sure, he invented Rock & Roll."

Ash turns to Kennedy and asks...

"I thought he was a painter?"

"He's being a smartass. Cpt. asked him a stupid question, so he gave a stupid answer. Of course he knows"

Cpt. Art laughs. "Well did you know that his use of long and unproportional bodies might not have been because of his so called "Artistic genius". He's overated if you ask me."

Parker looks him in the eye. "So what was it?"

"It might have been because he had astigmatism. To him, those figures were the human body." Cpt. Art walks up closer to Parker. "The point I'm making is that sometimes what you believe to be the truth, is actually screwed up and wrong."

"I couldn't agree with you more. Like the belief that the human race can win this fight. It's a lost cause. We're the lucky ones, he have a choice. When they take over, we can be more than just a slave force."

"You think they'll just greet you with open arms? Equal to them? Your half human. Alien Mulatto as far as they're concerned. Besides, that's the cowards argument. I have more respect for the truly evil fucks, the ones who could give a shit about what happens to us. Your just a coward running from the fight."

Parker has nothing to say. Ctp. Art pulls out a small black flash drive from his pocket.

"There's two files on this drive. Everything except the names are encrypted. What are projects "Time/Distance" & 'Angel"?

Parker bites his bottom lip. Cpt. Art laughs. He reaches into his other pocket, and pulls out the golden gun.

"Let's start with an easier one then. What's in these bullets?" Still no answer. "My offer still stands. You tell me what I want to know, and you don't spend the next year slipping into madness." Still nothing. "Fine then, let me motivate you."

Cpt. Art shoves the gun into Parker's left knee, and without hesitation pulls the trigger. Hot flesh splinters open, and the sharp crack of bone brings a cring to Cpt. Arts face. Parker screams in agony.

"Been awhile since you've felt pain, huh?" He pulls up the barrel of the gun, and looks at the fresh blood on it. "Now I know this isn't magnetite, Soldiers like us ain't vulnerable to it like the Pseudo Supers are. So what is it?" The screams continue. "Okay." Cpt. Art puts the gun the the oher knee. BANG!.

"OKAY! OKAY!" screams Parker.

x=x=x

From the roof of the theater, you can see nothing past the next building. Nothing across the street. Only portions of the sky above you. Belle stands near the edge.

The access door to the roof opens up, and Bruiser comes out. He walks over to her.

"How come you didn't tell me you were engaged? To someone like Cpt. Art, to make matters worst." Bruiser ask.

"I hadn't seen anyone in months. I was afraid. I was paranoid. I was vulnerable." Belle answers.

"So what, I took advantage of you?"

"No, I, I was confused. I needed someone. It was probably a mistake." Belle turns around and walks to Bruiser. She rubs her fingers across his cheeks, and kisses him. Bruiser pulls away after a while. "But I'm not sorry for it." she says to him.

x=x=x

Mulder opens his eyes, looking at the roof of a car, he's barely awake. Faintly hearing the words of Cigarette Smoking man.

"If this doesn't prove my mission for redemption, I don't know what will, Mulder" He takes a long drag before continuing. "I've done the easy part for you. I've gotten you out. Now all you have to do is not get recaptured."

Mulder tries to speak. "Scu-. Scul-"

"Centralia, Pennsylvania. Get to Scully, and get the hell out of there as fast as you can. All hell is headed for it. Lay low, and I'll be in contact in a couple of days. Hopefully by then, I'll have word on your friend Doggett."

The car comes to a stop. Cigarette Smoking man gets out of the car and walks over to the passenger side. He opens the door, and picks Mulder up and out of it.

"The drugs will ware off in an hour or so." He lays him down on a park bench.

"Goodluck."


	7. Poe

"It's called Illudium. It's what the bullets are made of." says Parker. "I don't know where or what it is exactly, but it's not found on earth. It doesn't effect those artificial soldiers either."

Cpt. Art pops opens the chamber of the gun, and pours the remaining bullets in his hand. He studies them, then puts only one back in. "And where's this Illudium been all along?"

"I don't know, I swear. Untill today, I didn't even know if it worked. If it really killed us like they said, or if was just a way for the big guys up stairs to keep us on our toes."

"And what about those woman?"

"Two days ago a group of Soldiers in army uniforms bring them to us. I ask what and why, and they tell me it's none of my fuckin business, and that they would be back for them before the base was shut down for good."

x=x=x

Kennedy and Ash watch the interrogation from the next room.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" A voice says. They turn around, and it's Emily.

"Sure." Replies Kennedy. Looking to Ash he says "Gimme a sec."

"Yeah."

Kennedy walks out into the hall and shuts the door behind him. "What's wrong?"

"It's been over 36 hours, and still nothing." Emily's eyes water up.

"Your abilities? I said about 24 hours. Some take less, some take more time."

"But what if they never come?" Tears begin to run down her cheek.

Kennedy reaches over and grabs her hand, then with his other hand, digs in his pocket.

"What are you doing?" ask Emily. Kennedy pulls out a pocketknife, and brings it up to eye level.

"Look." Kennedy jams the knife into her hand. Emily pulls it back and gasps. She looks down. Nothing. No wound, no scratch, or even red marks. "If you weren't one of us, you'd be covered in blood right now.

x=x=x

Scully and Monica stand in front of the theater. The noise of the huge breathing apparatus' keeping them from asphyxiating the only sign they have that they are still standing next to each other. Scully reaches out, and grabs a hand she hopes is Monica's. The thick smoke brings back memories of her and Mulder in their heyday of the X-files, just steps behind Cigarette Smoking Man.

The doors to the theater open up, and they are pushed forward, and inside. The doors seal behind them. The air inside the theater is clear, aside from the little smoke they've brought in with them.

Joan comes up to welcome them.

x=x=x

"The man who use to own this theater was a huge film fan. But she also loved books." says Kennedy. Emily looks around the room, each walls a book shelf, wall to wall, floor to ceiling. "When you know your going to be around a while, you have to fill your spare time with something. Some read, some watch."

"Watch?" Emily raises her eyebrow. Kennedy looks annoyed.

"I mean films. This is a theater after all."

"Why'd you bring me here?"

"Remember when I told you we all have to pick a new name. A way of shedding the burden of the past?" Kennedy walks to the book shelf in front him. "I couldn't make up my mind. I was worried I'd pick a name I'd later regret. So I decided I would walk in here, closed my eyes, and choose a random book." He reaches out to a large blue book, and pulls it our. "I picked 'Cold Wars: Space Race'. Opened to a random Page, and picked the first name I seen. Kennedy"

Emily laughs. "So I could be just as easily be taking to Khrushchev or Buzz Aldrin?"

Kennedy slips the book back into it's original spot, then runs his middle index finger down the spine. "Do it. It might take your mind off this anxiety your having."

Emily nods. "What do I have to lose?" She closes her eyes, and spins around a few times. Taking baby steps forward, and holding out her hand to feel for the books, untill she fells one. She pulls the book out and opens her eyes. "Poems of Poe: The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe." she reads aloud. She opens to a page in the middle of the book, and looks for a name.

Kennedy walks up behind her. "So who are you? Lenore? Halen? Ligeia? Eulalie? he ask.

x=x=x

"Are you hurt? Hungry? Tired?" Joan ask Scully & Monica.

Scully looks annoyed. "Enough. Someone tell us where we are already."

Bruiser walks into the lobby. "First we want to know why you were being held by them?" he ask.

"We don't even know who they are. Look, you said we could trust you, all we want is answers. And to know where my husband and friend are."

BANG! A gun shot from another room echos through the lobby.

From out of a hall to the far left corner of the lobby, Parker walks out, using Cpt. Art as a human shield, and the golden gun pressed to his temple.

"You've seen what this can do! Now back up and no one gets hurt!" Parker commands.

"He shot Ash." says Cpt. Art.

From the opposite end of the room, Emily and Kennedy come running out from the library.

"Cool it." says Bruiser. "I've taken that gun away before, I can do it again."

"Is that right?" says Parker. He squeezes the trigger to the gun. But the gun doesn't fire. Cpt. Art's eyes widen as we remembers. He smirks.

"I only put one bullet back in the gun dickhead."

Bruiser walks up to Parker and without a single word, punches his face dead center. The force so hard, his head snaps back, and his neck cracks. Parker falls to the floor unconscious.

Kennedy turns to Emily. "I'm going to go check on Ash. Make sure those woman over there are alright, they're not Soldiers." he tells her.

"Alright"

Emily makes her way over to Scully & Monica. "You guys alright?"

"We're ex-FBI. We've seen our share of standoff's before." Scully says. Monica just stares at Parker's body on the floor.

"Don't worry, he's not dead." Emily tells Monica.

"Your Super Soldiers aren't you?" Monica ask.

"Look I'm not very familiar with everything around here. What we are, or aren't isn't exactly all that clear to me yet. Um..."

"I'm Dana, this is Monica." Scully answers. "And you are?"

"My name is E-" Emily smiles as she's barely caught her mistake. This habit's going to be hard to break. "My name is Annabel Lee."


	8. M Curie

"Do you know what I hate?" Ash asks Nina. "People who pick their teeth, then eat what comes out."

Ash and Nina sit at a table in the theater lobby. Wrapping gauze around the gunshot wound on his forearm, she smirks. "Do you know what I hate?" she asks. "People who think just running water over their hands after they use the restroom counts as washing them."

She cuts the gauze short with scissors. "Do you know what I hate?" he asks. "People who say 'That's Comedy' instead of 'That's funny'."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Emily enters a theater, dark, cold, sticky floor, all the cliches. She looks at all the seats, not a one filled. On screen 1988's 'Die Hard'. Emily walks to the middle of the theater and walks down a row of seats, when she reaches what she feels is the center, she sits. Looking dead ahead, John McClane limps with bloody feet on screen.

"Thought I was the only girl who loved action." someone says. Emily looks to her left. Sitting three chairs down is a Caucasian woman in her late twenties. All her features either seem exaggerated or perfect, nowhere in between. Huge beautiful eyes, that always seem a slight over teared, and settled on perfect cheekbones. Puffy dark pink lips, that she nervously bites when she's not speaking. And a nose that looks more crafted, than naturally formed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see anyone when I walked in. Were you in here alone?" Emily ask.

"No, were you? Sorry if I interrupted."

"No. Everyone is in theater one. Shawshank Redemption, criminally overrated if you ask me."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Mulder sits in the passenger seat of a rusted bucket. Outside, is the deserted main street of a isolated New England town. The 2 A.M air making him, and Skinner who sits in the driver's seat shiver, even with heavy coats on.

"From what I was able to gather, yours & Scully's testimony from your murder trial was accidentally given a lower classification level than was ordered. And it leak. To whom, I'm still cold on. But still looking" says Skinner.

"Is it possible these Resistance Soldiers are getting help from the military?" Ask Mulder.

"If this information was leaked to an Army General, I'm more than confident that they'd of rounded up and exploited them all. But if they can organize and execute the type of activities you've said, then they definitely have some sort of government agency backing them."

"What about the info I asked for on Centralia?'

"It's was completely evacuated of all residents about eight months ago. Reason given was that the fire was spreading into more tunnels and weakening the entire foundation of the area. Everything you asked for is in that duffel bag in the backseat."

"My source gave me a time and way to get in before something big goes down."

"And you trust 'um?"

Mulder grinds his teeth briefly. "I have to. It's the only info I have on Scully."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Sitting in the library, Scully sits in a chair lost in her thoughts. She breaks concentration and reaches into a nearly empty bag of flower seeds. Grabbing one with her pruned fingers, she pops one into her mouth and uses her raw tongue to help crack it against her teeth.

Monica enters the room, and walks over to the her. She spots a book on the table next to her. "Who's Marie S. Curie?" ask Monica.

"She was a scientist who worked with her husband near the beginning of the 19th century. They met while she was earning a degree. Fell hopelessly in love, and in isolation most of the time." Scully's voice cracks. "They worked with radioactive material as carelessly as water. Until it killed them. Unaware of the danger. They say she would look into the her viles and say "Look at the pretty glowing light. It's like faint fairy lights."

Monica leans down next to Scully, and grabs her hand. "Look at me Scully. This isn't you and Mulder." Monica tosses the book to the floor.

"I'm just as addicted to the chase as he is." cries Scully.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"Can I ask you your name?" ask Emily.

"Daisy." the woman replies. Running her fingers through her hair, she looks back at the screen. Without looking, she continues "What about you?"

"E-" Still not use to her new name. "Annabel Lee."

"Like the Poe poem?" she giggles.

"Yeah."

Still not looking. "So what abilities do you have?"

Emily sighs. "Not sure yet. You?"

Daisy smiles and looks back to Emily.

Emily needs a double take. Maybe her eyes are playing tricks on her. Maybe it's a delusion. Because looking back at her...is her.

"I'm a mimic for one." replies Daisy in Emily's voice.

"Yippee ki-yay, Motherfucker!" says John McClane onscreen.


	9. G Warren Shufelt

In the reception office of a county morgue, a young female receptionist is getting ready for the graveyard shift by starting her laptop's Solitaire game.

The doors open and in walks a man that stands an intimidating 6'8. He walks up to the desk and leans over a bit. The receptionist is frozen in fear. The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a black badge wallet. The woman sighs.

"Sorry, it's late. I get spooked easy." she says.

He flips it open and shows his badge. "My name is Special Agent Robert Oppenheimer with the FBI. I'm here about the body from the crash the day before yesterday."

"The big rig driver? Let me make sure the coroner's still here before I send you back."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"In 1939 the Los Angeles Times ran a story about a man named G. Warren Shufelt. He was a geophysical mining engineer who said he found a series of tunnels and shafts beneath LA." says Cpt. Art to Bruiser.

Bruiser follows close behind the in the smoke filled streets of Centralia. Staring a hard look of guilt into the back of his head.

"In these shafts he claims to have found slabs of gold buried into the walls."

"Gold?" Ask Bruiser.

"Your thinking was this really gold, or was this that Illudium shit."

"Was it?"

"That's what I'm on my way to find out. And I wanted to ask if you'll join me."

"This seems like the kind of business we nomads aren't allowed to assist The Resistance on."

"You saved my girlfriend's life..." Bruiser looks down and grits his teeth. "...and mine. If I can't trust a guy like you to keep his mouth shut, then who?" Cpt. Art puts his hand out. "You gonna back me up, again?"

Bruiser reaches out his and they shake on it.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Cigarette Smoking Man' looks out the window of a Private plane. Outside the fields of Pennsylvania sweep by under him. Someone taps his shoulder, and he looks back.

'We're five minutes from Centralia, Sir."

CSM looks relieved. "Good, I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay awake. Where are they others?"

"They're all in the back, asleep." CSM looks back. Scattered throughout the seats are three identical look men.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"You probably couldn't see where we went, but this Hotel is just across the street from the theater." explains Joan to Scully & Monica. "It's filtered just like it. Now, the first four floors are occupied by all us when we're not busy chasing our asses. The rest of the floors are empty except the top floor, 24. That one is occupied the the Cpt. and his lady."

"It looks brand new." says Monica.

"Yeah, construction finished just a week before the fire broke out in the mines, and was scheduled to open the day after. Obviously it never happened."

"I thought none of you ever sleep." ask Scully.

"Doesn't mean we don't need our own space for ourselves, somewhere to just get the world out of our heads."

"Come on, I'll get you rooms on sixth floor, far enough so that your not disturbed by the noise."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"Whoa, you are one tall sucker. My name is Dr. Dodson." Dr. Dodson looks more like a former linebacker turned gym teacher than a doctor. He reaches out his chili stained hand for a shake. The tall man, 'Oppenheimer" obliges. "What can I help the feds with?"

"I'm here to follow up on the body pulled from the wreckage on Thursday."

"Good. This body ain't been nothing but trouble since it entered this town. First the EMT's swear up and down that that girl struck by that rig was dead when they found her, then some junkies storm the hospital to rob the hospital's goodie room, and kill a poor nurse with kids. Follow me to that evil thing."

Dr. Dodsen leads him to another room, where a blue body bag lays on an autopsy table. On the bag sits a brown folder.

"This is it." Dr. Dodsen explains, picking up the folder. "It's male, mid-to-late twenties. He died most likely from the impact to the ground after being tossed from the vehicle following the collision. Shattered his skull so bad, pieces of brain matter were found in the area close to the body. He also may have had a gun shot wound to the rib area. But you guys will have to confirm that in Quantico."

"Were there any personal items on him? Any papers, electronics maybe?" Oppenheimer asks.

"Well, the truck was stolen from a truck stop in New Orleans, so no hints as to who this guy was. A chain was recovered near the body, not sure if it belong to him, or the trucks owner though." The doctor looks closer to the sheet and sighs. "It just keep getting stranger."

"What's that?"

"This guy had radiation poisoning."

"Where's the chain that was recovered"

The doctor turns around and and walks over to a filing cabinet and opens up the top drawer. He pulls out an orange baggie and turns around. "Here we go, it's pretty nice too-" BANG! A bullet shatters the doctors scull into fragments. Oppenheimer's face gets coated with blood, and he displays an almost 'afterglow' satisfaction from it.

Outside in the parking lot of the Morgue the receptionist is running for her life. She doesn't need to know what/who the gunshot was for, just that it means get the hell out if you wanna live. Suddenly, Oppenheimer appears in front of her. With a gun barrel to her forehead she closes her eyes and prays.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Mulder makes his way through a marsh, on his face he has a breathing apparatus. He looks on at the first buildings that line the outer limits of Centralia. Thick black smoke blocks out a large portion of the horizon. He begins to make his way forward, when suddenly he's distracted. A black plane passes overhead. Looking up, Mulder spots gold colored stones falling from the plane's cargo bay. Hundreds of these 'gold' stones drop on the city. "What the hell is that?" Mulder asks himself out loud.

A/N: So sorry for anyone still following my story for the HUGE time delays between chapters, I'm working on fixing that, and hopefully the next few days will bring a number of new chapters, as I have time coming up for it. On another note, I've gotten PM's asking me if i can change my writing style to a more traditional style, and not use the quick scenes I often break up into pieces in a chapter and sometimes over a few chapters. But sorry to say I'm a very impatient person, I get bored with a scene easily and move on the next one. Or why I largely skipped over how exactly Skinner helped Mulder and the thing behind the body in New Orleans that set my story into motion. All this will be answered by the end. And I hope the twist and turns that I'm setting up will pay off. Sure, I lose out on adding 'depth' to my character's, but would also embarrass myself trying. I mean, I managed to establish an emerging friendship between Ash & Nina in just a few lines of 'You know what I hate", right :P. As always ALL reviews and critiques are appreciated. Thanks.

Coming up: Mulder & Scully reunite, a scene with Doggett, and Bruiser's guilt grows as just as much as Cpt. Art's trust in him.


	10. Jack Kevorkian

"A mimic?" Says Emily, looking at Daisy in amazement. Everything is perfectly matched. The freckle above her right eyebrow she inherited from her mother, her slightly oversized nose she gets from her father. "I didn't know that we could have that ability."

"I'm only one of two that have it." Daisy replies while slowly morphing back into her 'self'.

"What is your other ability?"

"I -" Daisy and Emily are distracted by a constant thumping noise.

"What is that?" ask Emily, but when she looks over, Daisy is gone.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Monica is washing up in the shower, when a loud thump distracts her. At first she thinks she might have imagined it. Then she turns off the water to confirm.

She walks out into her hotel room still drenched but covered in a towel, and over to the window. Pulling the curtain back, all that is revealed is a thick layer of dark grey smoke.

She turns around to finish drying off when suddenly something smacks into the window so hard it leaves a scratched streak across the it, surprising her so much she falls to the floor.

Someone knocks frantically on her door.

"Monica!" Scully yells from the other side. "Monica, are you okay? Do you hear that?"

"I'm fine! Hold on." Monica answers back.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Ash and Nina sit Indian style on the roof of the hotel. They both have their hands stretched out towards one another. Nina palms up, Ash palms down.

'I still can't believe you've never played this.' Ash says.

"What's it called again?" Nina ask.

"Hot Hands. Now-" Suddenly objects are striking the area all around them. "What the hell is it?" Ask thinks out loud.

They both stand up and walk towards the edge of the building. The black jet makes a low pass over them, temporarily sweeping away the thick smoke long enough for them to identify what flew by. "I thought this was dead air space?" Asks Nina.

"It's supposed to be."

Nina screams out in pain. A shard has stricken her shoulder, taking out a small chuck of flesh. Her reaction-an instinctive flinch sends her off balance and over the edge, falling out of sight through the thick fog.

"Nina!" Yells Ash, who jumps over the edge after her.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Emily's running through the hall to the main entrance when she runs into Kennedy...

"What is that?" she asks him.

"I don't know."

He takes her hand and leads her to the doors. He enters the code, and they open. Still holding her hand Kennedy leads her through the thick smoke, and onto the street outside. Thick pieces of golden metal are slamming in everything around them.

The loud smack of something hitting the ground startles them. They turn around to see what it is. Not soon after, another smack is heard, then a voice...

"Nina!" yells Ash.

"Who is that!" yells Kennedy.

"Nina!"

"I said who it that! As a lieutenant of The Resistance and second in command of this base, I order the chain of command active, so-"

"It's me Kenne- Sir, Pvt. Ash."

"Ash, what's going on?"

"Sir, I don't know. I seen a plane pass by, don't know for sure if that's what's dropping shit on us. Something struck Pvt. Nina and she fell off the roof of the Palace."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know Sir, I'm still looking for her."

"I'm Here!" Nina yells.

"Everyone get across the street and into the Palace" Commands Kennedy.

They all make their way blindly through the smoke, though the frequency of which they walk through these paths makes it second nature, like walking through their bedroom at night to use the restroom. They reach the hotel and enter.

The gold stones have stopped falling from the sky.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"We have to get out of this place." says Scully.

Scully sit in a chair while Monica is sitting at the end of the bed, putting on her socks and shoes.

"We can't. They said they would help us find John and Mulder." says Monica.

"I want to know where Mulder is more than anything, but you may be-" Scully cuts her thought short and looks to Monica's stomach. "When they bought us here they told us there was other prisoners, human's not Super Soldiers. Where are they?"

"How would we leave anyway? We wouldn't last a minute out there."

"When they moved us over here I sneaked two of the breathing mask in those duffel bags they brought food over for us in. When we got here. I put them in the stairwell in the fire hose case. We just sneak our way down and find our way out of here."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

With junk not falling from the sky, Mulder begins his way towards the city. Before he realizes it, the air has gone from light grey, to nearly pitch black. He reaches out with both hands hoping to keep a buffer between his face and what ever could lay ahead. His steps become smaller, seeking potential pot holes or curbs.

Six minutes into his blind trek Mulder begins to feel claustrophobic. To try and calm his nerves, Mulder tries to reason. For all he knows he's walking through a parking lot, or through a park. But it's almost fruitless, the thick smoke blocking his sight makes him feel more and more blocked in.

Just then Mulder stumbles off the edge of a curb, falling face first. The impact knocks his breathing apparatus half of his face. A huge breath of the thick smoke enters his lungs and the asphyxia is instant. The lack of air and chemicals make his effort to correct his mask useless. He abandons this to grab his throat, a curious human instinct.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Mulder recalls what he read in a book about Jack Kevorkian, when a person dies, hearing is the last sense lost. First usually being sight, followed by taste, smell and touch. Whether this is true or he believes it seems like the wrong time to decide, but he begins his mental checklist.

Hard to tell if his sight is long gone, but he's nearly certain his ability to taste is. Just as he's focused on smell, he loses consciousness.


	11. August Macke

Scully and Monica slowly lay their feet on each step in the stairwell.

"Two floors down, four to go." whispers Monica.

Each floor is lit by the same outdated light bulbs that give off more heat than light. Every wall covered with doodles, signatures, dates, dirty jokes, poems, quotes,... .

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

A white glove knocks on the front door of the 'Palace'. The glove thick enough to help prevent radiation, prevent embolisms, solar flares...

The door shoots out concentrated air and pops open. The glove reaches for the corner and pulls it open.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

All the soldiers in The Palace watch as the door opens and reveals a hazmat suit on steroids. The figure walks in and the door closes behind it.

Emily stands a ways behind Kennedy.

The figure's arms reaches up and removes it's helmet, revealing the face of a young "Cigarette Smoking Man".

"Are you Kennedy?" ask Cigarette Smoking Man.

"Yes." Answers Kennedy, "And you?"

"That's not important right now." Cigarette Smoking Man removes one of his gloves. "Which one is she?" He tosses the glove to the floor then reaches into a pocket on his chest, pulling out a lighter and a cigarette. "Word on the wire is this is just a place for the news kids of the block, intelligence collection, and semi-pacifist pussies." Bringing the lighter up to his mouth with the cigarette already in it, he lights it, takes a drag, and continues "Which of those are you?".

"I retrieved her, but she's already gone. You already know they wouldn't tell me where. They didn't even tell me why I went in the first place."

"One of the few things I like about the Resistance, your secrecy to the lower ranks." Another long drag. "As I remember it, Parker was not one of our more...resilient Soldiers. So I assume that you already what was just dropped all over this city."

"Illidium."

"So much Illidium that you will all begin to fell the effects of it very soon."

"What's so important about this girl anyway?"

"It's going to drain you of all your abilities. You won't die, but as long as your exposed to as much as we've laid out, you can die." Another drag. "Your all going to get very tried within the next half hour. You have all been awake since you've died afterall, 24 hours a day, seven and so on."

"How long?"

"You'll all be out about a day and a half. After that, you'll sleep like any other normal person."

"We'll be in touch." Cigarette Smoking Man says before putting his helmet back on. Kennedy walks over and enters the code to open the airlock. The oversized hazmat suit disappears into the smoke outside before the doors closes.

Kennedy looks back for Emily. Joan walks up and puts her hand on his shoulder.

"Sgt. Joan, come with me" says Kennedy.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

In what was supposed to be a manager's office, Kennedy & Joan contemplate their options.

"Sir, do you really not know why she's here?" asks Joan. Joan is a woman in her early thirties, black hair, and brown eyes. The sum of her face a contradiction of her features. Everything about her screams 'nothing special here' and 'beautiful' at the same time. Even when she has a genuine smile across her face, her eyes display a deep hidden sadness. Her sad expressions worthy of August Macke.

"You don't have to follow C.O.C in here, Joan." relies Kennedy. Joan takes his hand into hers and looks into his eyes. "We have to keep those woman up there safe." he continues.

"Dana and Monica. I almost forgot about them."

Kennedy closes his eyes, and focuses and the warmth of Joan's hand. He opens his eyes to a surprise. Only small areas of his skin are invisible, his abilities are already draining.

"Have someone bring them down to me." he says.

Joan closes her eyes and rest her head into his chest. "Okay" she whispers.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"I've already seen dozens of dates that mark the lost of virginity on these walls." whispers Monica. They've reached the first floor of the nearly pitch black stairwell.

"I've noticed the jokes have been a little cleaner as we've descended, and the dates and writings more sentimental." whispers Scully.

"Imagine the filth at the top." says Belle, standing against the wall. Scully & Monica both jump out of their skin. "You seriously thought we didn't have an eye on you guys?"she continues with a slow yawn.

"Look, we just want to get out of this place to find-" Scully is cut off...

"How many times do we have to explain, we're not gonna hurt you? Right now, the lobby is full of people trying figure out how exactly we're gonna get you out of here."

Joan opens the door to the lobby, "Come on."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

A/N: Don't mean to offend any Twilight fans, but the character of Belle is NOT named after Bella of Twilight. She's actually named after  
>a soap opera character. I won't say which one just yet though. I can't believe I forgot a description of Joan in her first appearance. But maybe it was a good thing, as her character's purpose in this story was touched on finally. Also, I won't go back and squeeze one in because I don't think it's fair to any readers for details in previous chapters to change. My story is already confusing enough already, right?<p> 


	12. Interquel II

"...remember this...". Mulder is slowly gaining consciousness. He brings his hands up to his face, strapped firmly to it is a breathing mask. His sense of hearing and sight still barely back. Looking up, all he can see is the thick black smoke. An arm wraps around his neck, another under his knees. _"...leave him..."_. The arms pull him up, and carries him away.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"Everyone just go" Kennedy continues with a yawn "to you rooms. I don't want everyone here in the lobby." Emily, Kennedy, Joan, and Belle stay behind.  
>"Do you think they got Bruiser and Art?" ask Belle, bringing her hand to her mouth to hide her own yawn.<br>"They left about an hour before it happened. So, who knows."  
>Emily looks over to Joan, who has been staring at her for the last couple of minutes.<br>"It's not affecting you." Joan says to her.  
>Emily realizes that she really hasn't felt the effects. While all others around her have been growing tired and weaken, she's remained unfazed. Belle exits the room quietly.<br>"I still haven't figured out what my abilities are either." says Emily.  
>"Is she a Super Soldier? Or something else?" Joan thinks out loud.<br>"I wasn't lying when I told him the higher up's didn't tell me what she is." says Kennedy. He continues, "I've had to pick up people before. Just after car crashes, suicides, none of them ever meant much. No offense there Annabel."  
>"Are you sure she's a Soldier at all?" ask Joan.<br>"The Tele'er **[teller]** they sent me confirmed it."  
>"What's a Tele'er?" ask Emily.<br>"Someone who can detect other Supers around them. Pretty useless ability unless your used by The Resistance leaders pretty often." answers Joan.  
>"What if I'm not? Is there anyway to tell?"<br>"We have a few upstairs, but they're probably all out by now." says Kennedy.  
>"How else then?" ask Joan. And at that moment, Belle pops up from behind Emily, bringing down a chef's knife into her shoulder's at full speed. Emily screams. Both Kennedy and Joan both run towards them.<br>Emily looks at her shoulder, and the knife.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Mulder looks up. Even now his senses are still out of wack. Trying to make out the face of his rescuer, he tries to speak. "Scul-." _"He's...hurry...realizes"_

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

The knife sits bended across the shoulder of Emily, it didn't even break the skin. Kennedy grabs the knife out of Belle's hand and tosses it away.  
>"What the fuck is wrong with you?" yells Joan.<br>Belle falls back, tired and yawning. "We all knew how we we're gonna figure it out. You guys were just dancing around it."  
>"And what if it killed her?" ask Kennedy.<br>"I'm fine." says Emily.  
>Across the lobby, elevator doors open up and reveal Scully and Monica, each with a bufflebag. They approach everyone else, including Belle, who is already fast asleep.<br>"Did you guys figure something out yet?" ask Monica.  
>Joan collapses to the floor, but is still awake. "How are we going to keep them safe" she says.<br>Kennedy collapses next.  
>"I'll do it. If I'm not going to get tired, I can keep them safe." assures Emily.<br>"Look!" yells Joan, pointing to a security screen for all the buildings entrances. On the screen two figures approach the front door.  
>"Shit!" says Kennedy. "Emily, behind the front desk are some thermal vision glasses and some breaking mask for them. Take them out of the emergency exit in the stairwell, the code is 1013."<br>On the screen one of the figures begins typing in the access code.  
>Kennedy continues, "When you exit, go left untill you've reached the end of the parking lot." The door confirms the correct code was entered.<br>"How the hell do they know it?" ask Joan.  
>Kennedy continues, "Then head right, that street will take you to the river, follow it south until you reach the highway." The airlock to the door sprays.<br>"Be careful." Joan manages to get out before succumbing. At the same time, just before Kennedy can wish the same, he also succumbs.  
>The door begins to open.<p>

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Mulder shield his eyes as they get a bright blast of light from the ceilings of The Palace. The figure holding him looks around inside the lobby. _"Everyone is already out. All I see..."_ Mulder's rescuer lays him down on the floor not far from the entrance. No sign of Scully, Monica, or Emily to be seen.  
>As the two figures make their way back to the door, Mulder tries to reach out for them, and says faintly "Who are you?"<br>Though they don't reply, he makes out a smirk on the face of the one who hadn't carried him, the face of a woman. It's also the last thing he see's before watching the door shut, and again loses consciousness.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Wondering slowly down the road with the thermal vision glasses, and breathing mask equipped, Scully, Monica, & Emily have reached an area of the city where the smoke is less dense, and sunlight can almost break through.  
>By the time they reach the river, the smoke is nearly gone, and they can see eachother without help.<br>Emily spots the deep worry on Scully's face as she helps Monica. Emily takes her hand and tries to reassure her...  
>"I overheard you talking back at the theater. I know your looking for your husband."<br>"Both of us." says Scully.  
>Emily, looks into Scully's eyes..."I'll do everything I can to help you, I promise."<br>Scully gives her a nodding thanks. Emily continues...  
>"I'll help you find Mulder."<p>

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

A/N: Aww, the old switcher-roo, now it's Mulder's chance to get to the bottom of what all this nonsense with what the CSMen (remember there is six clones) want with Emily/Annabel Lee. While Scully, searches for Mulder, and Monica for Dogget with the help of a friend in New Orleans from chapter one. Also looking forward to adding more weight to this sticky situation between Bruiser-Cpt. Art-& Belle. As a person who loves melodrama, this should be fun to write ;). y211.


	13. You Know I'd Do Anything For You'

Ash opens his eyes to his reflection looking back at himself. He lifts his head up and looks around. To tired to make it to his bed, he's fallen asleep on the floor of his room just past his door, and in front of his closet. He rubs his face and breathes into his hand.

"Oh." he says to himself. "That's awful." For the first time in years he has bad breath.

Ash stands up and walks over to his bed, only to find out it's already occupied. Sleeping in it with her feet facing the headboard is Nina.

A scream is heard from the hall, Ash quickly runs to his door and opens it. A small group of Soldiers is gathered around the door to the room straight across.

"What happen?" asks Ash.

"Sammy Q hung himself." a Soldier replies.

From behind Ash emerges a newly awaken Nina.

"It isn't the first one we've found either, more like the tenth. We found four alone on the second floor."

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

A newly awaken Kennedy is getting to his feet in the lobby. Looking to the entrance he spots Joan checking to see if Mulder is still alive.

"Who is that?" he ask.

"Don't know, but he's in bad shape." she answers. Joan feels Mulder's pulse.

Kennedy looks around the room. Then it dawns on him...

"Shit. We sent Annabel away with those woman." he exclaims.

"Do you think they made it?" she asks.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

"I didn't dream." says Nina. Ash and Nina are both in the restroom of his room. Nina is looking through A plastic bag filled with single use shampoo bottles, conditioner, mouthwash, toothpaste...toothbrushes. She takes two out and tosses one to him. "Did you?" she ask.

"Yeah." he answers while lining a beige toothbrush with blue and white paste. Then begins brushing.

Nina begins brushing as well. "About what?"

"It's a recurring dream I had my entire life." He spits, then continues brushing, "Well that is until I died."

She spits, then continues, "Feel like telling it to me?".

"You know we can't."

"I won't tell if you won't." A deafening silence fills the room for a minute. Ash spits again, then rinses his mouth with water. He grabs a towel to dry his mouth.

"I can never tell exactly where I am. Sometimes I think, maybe I'm on the top of a building, maybe on a deserted highway. Wherever I am, I can tell the world around me is in shambles. The end of the world actually. I'm hurt really bad. I'm dying. But I'm not afraid."

Nina is now done brushing also. Ash grabs a mouthwash bottle out of the bag, and begins the thirty seconds of burn. "Someone is holding my hand." he continues. "Someone that makes me feel like everything is gonna be just fine."

Finished with her rinse, Nina asks "Who is it? In your dream? Who is holding your hand?"

They turn towards each other. She blows a good sized breath in his face, and he give a thumbs up.

"I've never been able to tell." he answers, then blows his breath into her face. She gives a thumbs up.

They smile to one another.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Kennedy and Joan stand in the basement level of The Palace. The whole floor looks more like an abandon warehouse. Just behind them lies a door with a sign 'SEWAGE SERVICE ENTRANCE'. The door has an electronic lock like the main entrance.

"With Cpt. Art gone, I'm in charge." Kennedy says. "That means I have to appoint a second in command. Interested?"

"Are you sure? You know how the higher ups feel about these things." answers Joan.

"They don't have scores of people to look after right now. I do."

"You know I'd do anything for you."

Kennedy walks to the door, and enters in an access code.

"Until now, me and Cpt Art. were the only Soldiers under the general rank who knew about this room." The door pops open and the stench of the sewer service tunnel fills their nostrils.

"Dear God that stinks." comments Joan.

"Come on, it's about a ten minute walk to where we're headed."

Ten minutes of twist and turns on what seems like a path to nowhere.

"For a sewage system that has been largely unused for decades, it sure smells 'fresh'"

"We're here." says Kennedy. Here is another door looked by an electronic lock, except this one needs a fingerprint. Kennedy presses his ring ringer to the lock's screen and gets a confirmation. He opens the door and invites Joan in.

"Close the door behind you." says Kennedy.

The room is only slightly larger than a walk-in closet, and only occupied by a light bulb in the ceiling, and a computer on a black desk cornerized.

"This is the only way we get our orders from The Generals." says Kennedy. He sits at the computer and turns on the monitor. A login screen appears and Kennedy enters the password.

"Looks like the last message we received from them was just before the Illudium drop."

"What did it say? Was it a warning?" ask Joan.

"No. You remember we found a memory stick on that Parker guy? It had encrypted files in two folders on it. One named 'Project Angel' and the other 'Project Time/Distance'. We sent them the files to decode, and it looks like they were only able to scratch the surface on one."

"Which One?"

"Project Angel." Kennedy quiets for a moment as he continues to read the message. Joan waits anxiously. "They found out it contained a file with a countdown clock in it. But they don't know what it's counting down to. Only when."

"When?" ask Joan.

"December 21, 2012"


	14. Sounds Like An X-File'

Monica is seated curled on a restroom floor. Up against a wall, crying as silently as she can manage. In the the slightest of whimpers she cries...

'John. Where are you?'

The restroom is residential. Minimalist at best. The only clues that to it being a woman's are hidden away in the medicine cabinet and below the sink, the plain white seamless sink. The white trashcan holds an empty plastic bag. The mirror is spotless. The shower sparkling. Even the water looks sourced from mountain springs.

Monica gets to her feet and stands over the sink, starring at the two purple boxes that sit atop it. On top of them, two white plastic sticks. Sticks that tell her the direction of her future life. Bringing her attention away from them, she looks into her own eyes in the mirror.

...

Doggett's arm are wrapped tightly around Monica's waist. His chin lightly rested on her her neck. They lay side by side in their bedroom.

'I told you not to worry.' he says softly in her ear.

Monica opens her eyes and says, 'I'm not.'

'After everything we've seen, everything we've been through, you really think we can't handle this? This is what takes us down?'

'You make it sound so melodramatic. A Shakespearean tale,...of The Broken Condom.'

They both share a laugh.

'I just feel torn in different directions by so many things.'

'Like what?'

Monica takes a second to answer, 'Luke.' John is taken by surprise. She continues, 'If it's a boy, I don't-'

'Stop!' John interrupts. 'I won't let my son's death be used as an excuse. Me and Barb have made our peace. He wouldn't of wanted the rest of our lives revolving around his tragedy instead of his life.'

Monica grabs Doggett's hands at her waist and squeezes them tightly. 'You gave me shit for over a year for trying to convince you to go see someone about your grief.'

He kisses her cheek, 'I'm glad you nagged me 'till I did. If...if you do get pregnant, we can handle it.'

Doggett's cellphone rings.

'You really think so?' she asks.

He smiles, then releases her, then reaches for his phone, 'I'd never let anything happen to ruin our family.'

Doggett answers, 'Hello?'

As Doggett talks Monica is overcome with immense joy. A grin ear to ear. Her thoughts far in the future, a life occupied by her perfect family. Given her age, it is likely this would be the only child she could give Doggett, but now that seemed like enough.

Doggett ends his phone call, 'That was Detective Aimes.'

'New case?'

'This one sounds like an X-File. One that would send Mulder into a frenzy.'

'What happen?' she ask.

'A body was found in a marsh. Aimes said it doesn't look human.'

Monica shoots Doggett a confused look.

He continues, 'She's new though, probably has never seen how bad a floater can decompose.'

'Call me if anything comes up.'

'What, like a real alien?' Doggett says laughing.

...

Snapping out of her memory, Monica brings her attention back to the plastic sticks on the boxes. She picks one up, and see's a red line. She puts it down and sighs in relief. She picks op the next one. Looking closer to make sure she's correct, Monica confirms the stick displays a blue plus sign. She looks back up to herself in the mirror. Starring into her own endless worried eyes.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Cigarette Smoking Man stands behind a glass window. Taking a long drag, he stares intently at the other side.

A surgical room lays on the other end. One the operating table lays Doggett, sedated.

'You'll thank me, John.'


	15. The Only Way To Know Without A Doubt

Cigarette Smoking man sits on a chair pulled up to the front desk in the lobby. Opposite is Kennedy in his own chair.

'Have the suicides begun yet?' ask Cigarette Smoking Man.

'Eleven in all.' answers Kennedy. 'Do you know why they did it?

Cigarette Smoking Man takes a lighter out from his coat pocket and lays it on the desk.

'No. Some think it may be a reaction to the Illudium.' Kennedy watches the chain smoker retrieve a Morley cigarette from the same pocket and place it on the table.

'You don'?' ask Kennedy.

'My theory is that some people just can't stand the thought of living forever. It drives them crazy. So it's adios first chance they get.' He picks up his lighter and cigarette and lights it, taking a long smooth drag. Exhaling, he ask Kennedy...'You want one?'

Kennedy declines with a simple shake of the head no. He ask 'What's this all about?'

'Your greatest strength as a resistance is your insistence of secrecy. Cells all over this country can operate independently for months without central contact. But it's also your greatest weakness. Case and point, Centralia.' He takes a long drag to leave Kennedy momentarily on the hook, then continues...'How long will it take for anyone to realize something is wrong here? A week? Two? A month?'

Kennedy tries to hide any hint of a reaction.

'Just tell us which woman is the one you recovered recently, and you can have your town back.' Just as CSM finishes his sentence, the opening of 'Fine Di Una Spia' by Ennio Morricone blares from the sky outside.

Kennedy lets a smirks slip.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

...Four Days Earlier...

Bruiser and Cpt. Art stand on a hill overlooking a mile of woods that lead into Centralia. In the horizon nearly a hundred Soldiers have established a camp.

'Once I spotted that plane from the road I knew something was up. We need to contact the higher ups.' says Bruiser.

'Only way to do that is from a terminal only I and Kennedy have access too. Besides, there's the possibility that that's exactly want they want, to flush them out.' says Cpt. Art.

'I haven't known Kennedy long. Not that he's ever given me the impression that he can't, but can he handle this without you until we can get help?' ask Bruiser.

'I gave him second in command for a reason.'

...

Bruiser and Cpt. Art enter a farming property surrounded by miles of empty countryside.

'Is this a Resistance base?' ask Bruiser. Only a farm house and a black painted barn a little over 200 yards away appear to occupy the land.

In the distance, a small dim flame appears floating. As the seconds go by, it grows larger and makes its way closer to them. They both duck out of the way when it flies by between them and crashes into the ground a few feet behind them.

Bruiser and Cpt. Art both laugh at the pathetic flame.

'That was weaker than that shit Ash tries to pass off.' jokes Cpt. Art.

In the distance a figure kicks up a dust cloud after launching into the air. As it comes closer Cpt. Art looks over to Bruiser, 'Don't do anything when he lands.'

The figure lands in front of them. A dust cloud kicks up and clears rapidly.

'Earl Carter. It's been a while.' says Cpt. Art.

'Sure has been, Arthur.' Earl Carter is a while male in his early 40s, and standing 6'9 tall. Despite his looks, Carter is slightly soft spoken with a half repressed English accent.

'Who shot at us?' ask Bruiser.

'Unless one of you two are a Jumper, I'll see you in a couple minutes.' says Carter before launching back in the air.

Bruiser and Cpt. Art make their way towards the farm on foot. In the distance Carter lands and makes his way into the barn.

'They're Atoners. They use to fight for the other side.'

'And the higher ups let them in? As paranoid as I've been lead to believe they are?' ask Bruiser.

'That's why they're all lumped together in places like this. Only a few have fully been integrated into the Resistance.'

'Do I know any?'

'One.'

...

Now at the barn, Bruiser and Cpt. Art open it's door.

Inside, the typical layout. Hay, an ancient tractor, and the rusted remains of a BMW 600. No animals in sight.

In the back left corner lies a storm cellar with steel doors, a keypad lies in the middle. Cpt. Art enters a 4 digit access code and the doors open up. They decent down a flight of stairs and again are greeted by Carter. 'So, to what do we owe this pleasure?' he ask.

'Centralia is under attack.' says Cpt. Art.

'Must be serious if the Paranoid Personality leaders told you to come to us.'

'They didn't. I haven't been able to contact them.' Cpt. Art walks a step closer to Carter and says 'Is he here? Is he gonna kick shit up again, or is he gonna take his commitment to The Resistance serious this time?'

'Enoch's my problem. I'm the leader on this cell and he'll do what I say.' says Carter.

'How many you need?' ask Carter.

'How many, you got?' answers Cpt. Art.

...

Sitting tightly in the co-pilot seat of Boeing AH-64 Apache, Cpt. Art smirks at an odd feature mounted to the side of this attack helicopter, a pair of loud speakers. 'What are those for?' he asks.

Just a minute ahead of them is Centralia, just west of it where the camp of soldiers was established days before, is again an empty field.

Carter Smiles, 'For this' he replies. He reaches over to a third generation iPod Nano mounted in front of him, and scrolls through the menu of songs. 'Here we go.' he says.

The opening of 'Fine Di Una Spia' by Ennio Morricone blares from the loudspeakers.

'Gimme Ennio over Wagner any day.' yells Carter.

Following close behind are three more Apache's.

Deep within the thick smoke of the city, four orange orbs form.

'What are those?' ask Carter.

The orbs, which they now realize are Stinger Missiles, are on a straight path to them all.

'Shit.' says Cpt. Art, before the Apache's blow to pieces.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

'I'm sorry, we came in so quick I didn't even get your name.' says Scully.

'My name is Sheryl Aimes.' Sheryl Aimes is in her late 30s, brunette, brown eyes, and has a youthful attraction. 'This isn't the first time we've met though.'

Standing in Sheryl's living room of live edge furniture, medium colored curtains, a top of the line television, Konya carpets, and aquarium.

Scully gives a sigh, 'I'm sorry, you couldn't imagine what we've been through lately.'

Sheryl nods, 'I was the first officer on the scene when we found that mutilated corpse. I met you and your husband the day you guys took into custody for that Assistant Director.' Sheryl looks over to Emily, whose standing just outside of her screen door. 'Who is she?'

'Annabel. She helped get us out of bad situation.' says Scully.

Scully looks around the living room, thinking to herself that even with as a Federal agent she couldn't afford half the stuff in this room, or even a single appliance she can spot in the kitchen.

From the hallway, they both hear the restroom door open. 'Scully' Monica calls.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Scully sits on the edge of the bathtub, while Monica stands looking in the mirror.

'The only way to know without a doubt is a blood test.' Scully says.

Monica stares down the two test, each one calling the other a liar.

'Me and Doggett had a broken condom.' Monica says. 'The morning of that day.' Scully says nothing. Monica continues, 'But when we were kidnapped from the van, and taken to wherever in the fuck we were taken to, I was taken into that room.'

...

Monica is dragged by her feet into a surgical room by two men in nurse uniforms. A doctor walks close behind. She screams and twists, trying every way she can to escape. One of the nurses lets go of her feet and walks over to her hands. She swings and slaps at his face, the man easily grabs a hold and both men lift her up onto an operating table and straps her down.

Screaming at the top of her lungs Monica pleads with the doctor, 'Stop! What the fuck are you doing!' He barely acknowledges her.

'Where's the sedative?' he ask one of the nurses, who hands him a syringe. He pushes Monica's waist up, and to the side, then slightly pulls down her panties to inject the sedative into her cheek. A few seconds later, Monica is only half way conscious. Still able to make out words, but with heavily blurred vision.

'She's still awake' a nurse says.

'She can't be fully out for this. Remove her underwear, and get me specula'

Monica looks down as the nurse pulls her underwear down and off. Next he unstraps her legs then puts them into examination stirrups. The doctor returns with the specula. She tries her hardest to fight, but any muscle barely moves. He inserts it.

For the next half hour he performs a precedure Minica can no longer make out with her blurred vision. When he's done, the doctor tells the nurces, to dress her back up and take her back to the room.

...

Scully still sits on the edge of the bathtub, trying hard to hold back tears. 'I''m s-' Scully stops when her voice cracks. 'I'm sorry I couldn't help you.'

Monica walks over to Scully and leans down in front of her, 'There was nothing you could do. It's not your fault.' Monica looks down to the floor. 'Now the question is, is this baby mines and Doggett's, or a result of whatever they did to me.' Neither woman can say a word.


	16. Eww!

Cpt. Art plummets towards the ground surrounded by the debris of the chopper, and a screaming Carter. Carter shouts out to him, but nothing gets through the wind smashing against his ear. Then his eye catches an odd sight...higher up than where the chopper exploded, two figures are fighting in the sky. Cpt. Art winces and blinks, just to make sure its really there, it is. Then just as fast as he's spotted them, they disappear.

Cpt. Art turns his body over to face the ground coming at him. Pieces of the wreckage hit the ground first, then Carter. Even knowing it won't hurt, his instincts tell him to close his eyes and brace for the impact.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Ash and Nina sit against the walls of a hallway on the 3rd floor of The Palace. One on either side, they are facing each other.

'Kennedy said he was told that she must of been batshit before she died.' says Ash, 'So now that the Illudium has stripped her of her abilities, all that schizophrenia or whatever the hell she has has come back.'

Nina is biting her nails, 'So once we are clear of it, she'll get better again?' she ask.

Ash nods, 'Don't know, but hopefully.'

A few doors down, Belle kicks the door from inside her room. She doesn't say a word, but the kicks grow faint.

'She must be getting tired out.' says Nina.

'I'm sorry, I couldn't understand you with your hands in your mouth.' Ash says jokingly.

'Sorry. I was a nervous nellie. It's coming back.' she says.

'I would use some of that nasty shit they tell parent to put on their kids nails so they don't bite, but we don't have any in this building.' says Ash.

Chomping down on her index fingernail, she replies 'Lucky me.'

Wincing at her, Ash can no longer take it. 'I have another idea though. He scoots towards her, and sits Indian Style. He takes her warm hand into his and looks her in the eye. Nina returns his gaze. Ash kisses her hand. Her lips temble. Then, he smiles and lets out a giggle, 'Sorry for this.' he says to her, before taking her fingers into his mouth and overs them in saliva. Nina is horrified.

'Eww!' she shouts.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

I'm currently writing a very important Emily chapter, and these wto scenes were in it. As I was reading through what I had already wrote, these two didn't really flow well within it, so I just took them out and decided to make them a VERY short chapter of their own. Hope you enjoy it somewhat.


	17. You WILL Tell Me

Emily stands just outside the door of Sheryl Aimes home. She contemplates every moment she can recall since the moment she 'died'. Looking out into nothing, she now begins to remember the events that brought her to that road the night of the accident. But her thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice...

'Come quietly, and your friends inside won't be hurt.' Emily jumps slightly, and turns around. Standing before her is the tall man that was there to kill her that night at the hospital, the man that hurt Bruiser in the dinner.

'Is Kennedy alright? Is he alive?' she ask.

The man removes a black hat from his head.'I don't know. Believe it or not I have no affiliation with them.' he says. 'Your a popular girl.'

'Why?' she ask. Deep down, Emily's thoughts begin to center around the safety of Scully, Monica, and Sheryl.

'It's not for me to say.' he answers. 'The man I work for would very much love to be the one who tells you himself.'

'And if I go now, you won't hurt them.' she ask.

'You have my word as a gentlemen.' he replies.

'Put your fuckin hands up.' commands Sheryl. Sheryl stands just behind him, with a gun pointed to his back.

'Don't move or I'l-' just before she can finish her line, the man has instantly appears facing towards her with his hand on the gun. Sheryl is startled. He rips it out and points it towards her.

Emily stretches out her hand towards them and screams, 'No!', squeezing her eyes shut to not witness Sheryl's murder. Only after a few seconds does she realize there is now complete silence. She opens her eyes. Sheryl and the man are completely still. In between them has only made it half way before it too was 'frozen'. Looking at her surroundings, everything else down to birds in the sky and locked in place.

It's clicked, 'Maybe this is my ability.' she says to herself out loud.

Not knowing how long it will last, she rushes over to the bullet and pulls it down, and looks at it in her palm. Then the sounds of the world come rushing back...

Sheryl scream with her eyes shut waiting for the bullet to hit her, the man waits for the same. It's a second before they realize it hasn't happen. He is absolutely shocked the that the bullet is gone.

With a speed that rivals his own, and the strength much like that of Bruiser's, Emily delivers him a blow to the left her that sends him flying out of the porch and into the lawn.

'Go inside, get Scully and Monica out of her! Go through the alley.!' Emily commands a startled Sheryl. She complies without a word.

The man gets to his feet, 'Looks like your abilities are finally here.' he says.

Emily's heart is practically pumping out of her chest. Hers adrenaline's going full speed. She's never felt more alive. She approaches him, standing only three feet away. She stares him down, no longer afraid. And whether it's her new and improved ego, or it's actually true she doesn't know, but she spots fear in his eyes. 'Who are you?' she asks.

He doesn't answer.

'You WILL tell me.' she says confidently. But suddenly it all goes to chaos. It begins with her right shin and foot, which catch fire and burn through her shoe and pants leg instantly. At the same time, her breath is coming out colder than anything she's ever experienced. Her vision changes rapidly, first in vibrant colors, then black and white, one second she can see through buildings the next she can she nothing. Her nails shoot ice, white light beams, sound waves that go wild and crack the street and sidewalk. She screams and tries to control whatever is happening to her. She hears Scully's voice all the way in the alley pleading that they can't leave her behind.

As quickly as it had begun, it's over. Emily falls to the ground. She is unable to move a muscle. She stares at the sky before the man enters her vision standing over her.

'Cool.' he says softly before Emily looses consciousness.


	18. Interquel III: Glad You Remember

Emily opens hers eyes. A nearby widow sends bright sunshine directly to her face. The light makes her pupils contract so fast they hurt. She shields herself with her arm. Looking around, she discovers she's in a hospital. In a patient gown in a bed, an IV in her left hand, and a nurse in the corner of the room facing away from her.  
>The nurse is a Caucasian woman, tall with a curvaceous figure that Audrey Hepburn could appreciate, and long blond hair. Her outfit is spotless without a wrinkle insight. It hugs and curves around her body in a perfect snug fit.<br>The nurse wraps her hand around a cart and pulls it towards herself walking backwards towards the bed. Emily tires to get a glimpse of her face with no luck. Standing directly to the side of the bed now, the nurse gives off the scent of fresh cold strawberries from her body.  
>'Where am I?' Emily asks her. 'What hospital is this?'<br>The nurse faces towards her, she has a familiar face.  
>'Your that girl from the theater.' Emily says to her.<br>The nurse shakes her head. 'Sorry. You must be mistaken.' she tells Emily. 'You've been in a coma for over a month. You were in a car accident. We were worried there for a second.'  
>Emily pulls her hand up to her head. Feeling around she finds bandages. Dry blood flakes off onto her gown.<br>'Where's Scully and Monica? Are they okay?'  
>'Afraid I don't know who your talking about. You had no I.D. on you, so we couldn't contact your family.'<br>Emily is confused, could this be true? Was it all a dream? People with abilities. Aliens. Doomsday.  
>The nurse smiles. 'Just kidding, your unconscious, my dear.'<br>Emily is angry. 'Why would you do that to me? Who the hell are you?'  
>'Who I am is not important to you right now. This may be the only time for a while I have to warn you.' says The Nurse. 'Pretty soon all your new friends like Kennedy, and Bruiser, and even Sheryl will have to pick sides. Not all of them are gonna end of up on yours. Until then, try to keep as many allies as you can. Okay?'<br>Suddenly Emily's entire body is hit with pain. She screams. Then just as fast as it hit, the pain is gone. 'What was that?' she ask. The nurse waves goodbye.  
>The pain hits again. Then disappears. A bright light fills Emily's vision. The blinding white shine even hurts with her eyes close. Her eyelids bright red when she winces again. The pain hits again. The light begins to fade just a bit, before she can see the doctor, and nurses around her in a completely different place.<p>

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Nina awakens in her room. She stretches out on her bed and gives a yawn. Arms flailing she accidentally pops Ash on the nose. He jumps awake. Both still fully dressed and not under the bed covers, they are laying side by side.  
>'What the hell?' he says.<br>'I'm so sorry!' Nina says while covering her face with her hands. 'Hey, do you remember falling asleep?'  
>'Actually I don't. We must of been tired as hell then.' He answers.<br>Nina sits up and slaps Ash's knee, 'Come on, let's brush.' she says.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

'Dana. Dana wake up.'  
>Scully opens her eyes.<br>'They've just removed the feeding tube a minute ago.'  
>Scully is laying in a hospital bed, covered from head to toe by old tape used to hold IV's in place. Scully is puzzled. Aside from the fact she has no idea where she is, or how she got there, her body has been injected with God knows what. She struggles to remember why the voice coming from the dark corner of the room seems so familiar.<br>'They told me to be patient. They said when the time was right, I would be the first one you talk to.'  
>Scully looks at all the IV scars. Knowing IV's can't stay in one place forever and have to be moved, she's trying to tell how long she's been here.<br>The person behind the voice stands up and begins walking into the light.  
>'You've aged very well Dana. Glad all the stress of the X-Files didn't ruin your beauty. And I gotta say, you and Spooky Mulder, didn't see that one coming.' The person's face reaches the light.<br>Scully thinks she recognizes him. She's stunned. 'Ethan? Ethan Minette?' she asks.  
>'Glad you remember.' says Ethan<p>

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Ash and Nina are newly showered and clothed. They are putting the finishing touches on their hair grooming when Ash gets a sudden thought.  
>'Shit!' Ash yells.<br>'What?' Ask Nina,  
>'We were supposed be guarding Belle! We must've fallen asleep.'<br>Ash and Nina bolt for the door and out into the hallway. The room holding Belle is only a few doors down from their rooms. Ash reaches for the door handle and turns it. It's locked.  
>He unlocks the dead bolt keeping it locked from their side.<br>'Please be okay. Kennedy will kill us!' Ash says as he breaks the door lock with one swift kick. The door flies open and bangs into the wall. Inside is completely dark. Nina flips the room light one.  
>On the bed in the room is Belle quietly sleeping on her side on the bed. All appears to be normal.<br>'Thank God.' Nina sighs.  
>Belle wakes up. Turns over and looks to them confused. 'What are you guys doing?'<br>Nina gasp and covers her mouth with her hands.  
>'What!' Ash asks.<br>'Look at her!' Nina replies. Ash does. He was no words for what he see's.  
>Down at the end of the hall, the elevator doors open up, and out comes Bruiser. He yells out for Belle. 'Belle! Belle!'<br>She hears this and leaps off the bed and out the door into the hall. She sees Bruiser and smiles.  
>Bruiser on other hand stops in his tracks and is shocked. Belle is scared, 'Bruiser, what is it?' she asks. He doesn't answer. Ash and Nina come out of the room and stand in the hall. Belle notices Bruisers eyes are fixed on her stomach, so she looks down. Her stomach is huge. She's in at least the third trimester of a pregnancy. All is silent, that is until Ash turns to Nina and asks...<br>'How long have we been asleep?'

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

For all the casual X-Files fans, the character Ethan Minette and who he is (or was) can be read about on the Wikipedia artical for the pilot episode.


	19. Earache

Scully looks around the room as Ethan continues...  
>"I was afraid for a second that you wouldn't." He stands up and walks over to the bed, then has the nerve to take a seat on it near Scully's waist.<br>Scully is about to react to this when something catches her attention. An empty syringe is still logged into an injection site of her IV tube near the saline bag. She looks to him. "How could I forget you, Ethan?"  
>He smiles wide. "I've read so much about your career in the X-Files division. You've been through so much. I figured our short time together would of been buried so deep in your memories-"<br>Scully interrupts him. "Ethan, I'm sorry could you pour me a cup of that water over there?"  
>He stands up quickly, and looks. He spots a glass pitcher in the corner of the room. "I'm sorry, I'm so excited I forgot to ask. Sure." he says. He walks over.<br>Scully quickly grabs the syringe free and stuffs it under her sheet. Ethan pours the water and turns to look at her. Scully just grins.  
>'Could you just bring the whole container with you? I'm pretty thirsty.' she asks in a voice an octave higher than her usual.<br>'Sure.' he replies. He makes his way back over to the bed and again has the nerve to take a seat. He hands the cold plastic cup of water to her.  
>'Thank You, Ethan.' she says before quickly downing the whole cup without a breath.<br>'Wow. You were not kidding' he jokes.  
>'Yeah I wasn't, hand me the pitcher. I need a whole lot more.' she says.<br>He laughs. Then realized she's serious. 'Oh. Really?' he ask. 'Here.'  
>Scully grabs it and puts it up to her mouth. Just before taking a drink she asks 'Are those my clothes by the door?'<br>Ethan turns to look. As he does, Scully quickly swings the pitcher to her right, then brings it twice as fast back across to the left and right into the back of Ethans head. It seems to explode on contact, the water flying every direction. The force of the hit sends him flying off the bed and onto the ground face down. Scully kicks off the blanket and sheets. Takes the syringe. Jumps off the bed. Leans over him. He's still conscious but disoriented and in pain. Showing no mercy she grabs a handful of his medium length hair and pulls his head up a bit.  
>'Turn over!' she commands. He does. Still holding his hair she continues...'No sudden movements!'. Scully brings up the syringe to his ear and inserts the needle into it about two inches. Ethan yells in pain.<br>'An inch deeper and you'll spend the rest of your life with deafening tinnitus, partial blindness, and stomach turning vertigo. You hear me!' she asks.  
>'Yes! Please-'<br>'Shut up!' Scully commands. 'Where am I?'  
>'We're near West Glacier, Montana in an decommissioned secret nuclear bunker!'<br>'Where's Monica?'  
>'She's one room over. She's fine. Just sedated like you were!'<br>'And Mulder?'  
>'I don't know!'<br>Scully shoves the needle about a quarter inch deeper into his ear. He panics.  
>'I swear to God, I don't know.' he pleads. 'Look I can let you go. No one is here but me and one of those Super Soldier freaks up top near the exit. Everyone else left in a rush hours ago! I swear!'<br>'Left where?' she asks.  
>'I don't know, they don't tell me anything. It must of been something huge though, because they've never left just one person behind before.' he says. 'It's why I woke you up. I wasn't suppose to. They just told me that when they did wake you I was suppose to earn your trust and see what you knew about some body from New Orleans. But I couldn't wait, so I took this chance to wake you.'<br>'Stand up slowly. Then take me to Monica!' Scully demands.

* * *

><p>Scully, Monica, &amp; Ethan walk down a pure white hallway lined with matching white doors. Scully still holds the needle in Ethan's Ear. '<br>'You were fine you know, you and your baby. We took-' Ethan says to Monica before getting shut off short.  
>Scully wiggles the needle in the slightest, 'If anything happens to her baby, you'll be begging me to kill you.'<br>'How much further?' Monica ask Scully.  
>'It's just around this corner.' Ethan answers.<br>Coming up to a turn in the hallway, Scully makes Ethan walk out into the turn first, just in case. Nothing happens.  
>At the end of the turn is a large chrome door, in the top third of which contains a window. To the side is a key panel.<br>'Monica, come here.' Scully says. 'Can I trust you not to?'  
>'He may be our only way to find John and Mulder. I wouldn't kill him, yet.' Assures Monica. 'I promise.'<br>Monica reaches for the syringe. Scully slowly loosens her grip. Ethan braces with his eyes close, one mistake on the hand off and he's in hell. Or this dark haired woman could be lying, and kill him. The switch goes off without a hitch.  
>Scully walks up to the door and looks through the window. What she spots confuses hers.<br>'No. You guys have made a mistake.' says Scully.  
>'No that's her. That's the Super Soldier girl they brought with you guys, I swear.' Ethan pleads to Scully, but mostly Monica.<br>'Who is it Scully.' ask Monica.  
>The prisoner walks up to the glass and starts knocking. 'Hey, Dana! Monica! Hurry!'<br>'She's not a Super Soldier.' Monica says. 'Is she?'  
>'Dana! Dana hurry!' says Sheryl banging on the window.<p> 


	20. Nausea

Scully punches in the keycode Ethan gave her, and the door opens. Sheryl walks out slowly. Scully backs up a step.

'Why didn't you tell us?' Scully asks her.

'Do you want the long story or do you want to hurry up and find Annabel and get the hell out of here?' Sheryl says angrily.

'The next few minutes are going to be real shitty for you' says Ethan to Sheryl.

'Why?' She asks.

'That Illudium that drained your abilities away. Go ahead and try to use them.' He answers.

Sheryl extends her arm forward and closes her eyes. After a beat, they open. 'What happen to them?'

'That Illudium drains them. But it's affect only works within a certain distance of the stuff, so once we get some distance between it, all your abilities will be back good as new.' says Ethan.

'When what's the problem?' asks Sheryl.

'Think about the worst nausea you've ever had, now double it. Now double that. Add a headache and some body aches and you've got what your in for. Whether it's from the powers coming back, or some sort of withdrawal from the Illudium, I don't know. But your barely gonna be able to walk. But it will be over in about 10 minutes.' says Ethan.

'You have any idea where the other woman who was brought in with us is?' ask Scully.

'They only have one other Illudium cell on this site. If she isn't in it, then I'm sorry. She may be dead.' answers Ethan. 'It's on the last floor, the one below us. We can't take the elevator though. The guy upstairs is an idiot, but not that big of an idiot that he won't see us on camera. We may have better luck taking the maintenance stairs down.'

Sheryl feels a sharp pain come and go in her head. 'Shit!' she yells.

Scully looks to Monica. 'I think you should stay here' she tells her.

'Okay, I wanna look around, see if I can find something on Doggett. I won't go far, don't worry about me.' says Monica.

'That was way easier than I expected.' Scully says.

'You want her to fall over the rail?' says Monica to Ethan. In the dark stairwell, all four look over the hand railing down 4 flights of stairs.

'It's either that, or we waste time carrying her down with us. She won't die. And when we make it to the bottom, we'll just bring her with us out of view.' says Ethan.

'Okay, do it. Push me.' Says Sheryl.

No one. budges.

'Ethan do it' Sheryl commands. Without hesitation Ethan pushes her shoulders and Sheryl is flipped over the rail. Her body smacks the floor, sending a cold shiver down Scully, Monica, and Ethan's spines.

'Hurry the fuck up!' Sheryl yells from the bottom. They all sigh and make their way down.

Ethan and Monica support a very weak Sheryl out of the stairwell. Through the door is the kind of concrete tunnel you'd expect to house nuclear waste miles under Nevada. Even with support, Sheryl finds it difficult to stand. The world seem as still as ever, it's her that feel like the thing that's moving. Spinning directionless, just her consciousness. A feeling looking 'out-of-body experience' in the rear view mirror.

'Sheryl, are you okay?' ask Monica.

'Just put me down. You said it would only last about ten minutes right?' Sheryl ask Ethan.

'Give or take a minute or two.' he answers,

'Well, it's been about 5 minutes.' she says. 'Just leave me here and I'll catch up when I can.'

'Are you sure?' ask Scully.

'Just go.' She answers. Scully and Ethan sit her up against the wall of the tunnel. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. 'Go, I'll be along soon. Hurry up and find Annabel'

'It's not far from here anyway.' says Ethan. 'Come on.'

'Here it is.' says Ethan.

Down a dark hall light shines through a bank vault of a door with a square foot sized window. Scully and Ethan approach it.

Through the window Scully sees Emily sitting in the corner with her knees pulled up against her chest. her head and arms resting on them.

Scully bangs on the window and calls out her name. Emily looks up, startled. She stands up and runs over to the door.

Scully watches her lips say 'Get me out of here! Please!' but can't here her voice.

'How do you open this door?' Scully asks Ethan.

'With a pass code I don't know.' he answers.

'It was designed with the intention of keeping us weak right?' says Sheryl out of nowhere.

'Holy shit, you scared me.' Ethan yells.

'Not so much keeping us out?' Sheryl continues. 'You guys might wanna go out in the hall, It's been a while since I've done this.'

Scully and Ethan take the advice and back up.

Sheryl closes her eyes and begins taking deep breaths. She brings her palms together and starts rubbing them together. The friction builds up and the her hands glow red-orange before igniting into a fire. She walks up to the door and puts both palms on it. The metal of it heating up untill it matches the color of her hands. She smiles from ear to ear.


	21. Heartache

Belle sits in the tub of her hotel room, grasping the hand of Art who is sitting outside the tub but next to her. 'I don't remember anything' she says to him.

Standing just behind them at the door, Bruiser watches them hold hands. Chewing the inside of his lip, the only subtle way to express his frustration.

'No one does.' Art tells her. 'I thought this whole time, well we all did, that we couldn't have kids.' he continues. 'I couldn't be happier. Your pregnant, and with my child.'

Belle looks down when he says that, trying not to make eye contact with Bruiser.

Kennedy comes up behind Bruiser and taps him on the shoulder. 'Come on.' he says. 'Let's let them have some time alone.'

Bruiser nods in agreement and they exit the room. Bruiser hurries out to the hall, Kennedy tries to keep up.

'We need to talk.' Kennedy tells him. Bruiser stops. Kennedy looks over at the end of the hall to Ash and Nina, 'Which one of these rooms is empty.' he yells to them.

'To door down, on your left.' Nina says.

Kennedy opens the door and they both enter, closing the door behind them.

'You do know that pretty much everyone here knows about you and her, don't you? I mean everyone except Art obviously.' Kennedy tells Bruiser.

Bruiser looks at him. 'We didn't exactly try to hide it too well. Except for when he came back.' he says.

'I know how you must be feeling right now. Angry, maybe excited that she's pregnant. But the best thing right now for everyone is if you wait untill we figure out what's going on around here before you confront him with the truth.' says Kennedy.

Bruiser doesn't reply, but nods in agreement.

'This is me asking you as a friend Bruiser. Promise me you'll wait.'

Bruiser nods again, 'Yeah, okay. I promise. But the moment this all over, I'm not holding back.'

'I know.' Kennedy says.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Mulder is beating down a window in the lobby with a fire extinguisher. Joan looks on.

'It's no use.' she tells him. 'We're locked in this place untill they want us out.'.

Mulder continues with the window, 'I need to find her.' he says.

'Scully?' she ask.

'Yes.'

'I talked to her a bit. She told me you guys we're friends for years before you were together right?'

Mulder doesn't answer, just continues.

'Can I ask you a question?' she asks him. He doesn't reply. She continues anyway, 'Weren't you afraid? I mean it's the classic cliche right? You want guys love eachother, or have feelings at least, but your too afraid to act on them. Afraid it will be mean the end of your friendship if it all goes wrong. That you'll lose them completely, Regret taking action, when everything is just fine. Again, we're you afraid?'.

Mulder stops, realizing she's right about the window, then finally answers her, 'Terrified.' he says. 'But I'll describe it in a way she once did..."The best relationships, the ones that last seem to be the ones that are rooted in friendship. One day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend...is suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with" '

Joan smiles.

'You sound more than curious. Like maybe your in a similar situation.' says Mulder.

'Something like that.' she says.

=x=x=x=x=x=x=

Ash and Nina have moved to her room. Both laying on the bed, her feet facing up, and his feet facing down.

'Nina.' he says.

'Yeah?' she answers.

'Let's say a guy meets a girl. They like eachother and they hit it off.'

'Okay.'

'They sleep together. Later the man finds out she has a boyfriend. She's a cheater right?' he ask.

'Yeah.' Nina answers.

'But what about the man? Is he a cheater too?'

'You said he didn't know she had a boyfriend. So, no. At least I don't think so.'

'Let's say this same man, after he finds out she was a boyfriend, he's so infatuated with her, he continues the affair.' ask Ash. 'Is he a cheater now?'

'Does he have a girlfriend?' she ask?

'No.'

'That's tough.' she says. 'Does he know the boyfriend at all?'

'Nope.' he answers. 'Is this single man a cheater simply because he's sleeping with a girl who is not? Or is she just the cheater?'

'I would say yes. This makes him a cheater, after he continues the relationship.' she says.

'I disagree. As a single man, he isn't betraying a loved a significant other. She's the cheater, not him.' he says.

'Well, put your self in her boyfriends shoes, wouldn't you consider them both cheaters?' she asks.

'I guess I would' Ash answers.

'More importantly, put your self in this mans shoes. Would you feel guilty? Would you feel like a cheater?' Nina asks him?

Ash struggles for an answer, 'I don't know.' he says.


End file.
